blessed said:
AG81xx said:
Here's another potential problem. Getting everyone to turn down their thermostat to 68 degrees works great to save electricity when you are in the 30-40 degree outdoor temp range because most electric heating systems and house insulation allow a house to be heated beyond 68 degrees, so by setting your thermostat at 68 you actually shut off the electricity once it hits 68.
However I imagine that when we get to single digits outside, many houses (or most) will have to run full time just to try and get to 68. So for many homes it will not matter whether you are set at 68 or 70.
I talked to one guy today who is having no issues with heating his house and is not worried bout gas or electricity issues freezing him out. His house is heated almost entirely by a wood stove in the living room.
For those with heat pumps that exchange heat with the air, the heat pumps are running pretty much full time trying to extract a little bit of heat from the air. If they had geothermal heat pumps, they would be relatively well off.