# Setting the thermostat back to conserve gas **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-the-thermostat-back-to-conserve-gas/334795 "2005-12-09T00:37:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-the-thermostat-back-to-conserve-gas/334795/21 "2005-12-09T18:27:05Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I have this discussion every time my wife opens the kitchen cabinet that is against an external wall, and feels cold air come out. She tells me we need more insulation there so the cabinet won’t get cold, because we must be losing heat there. No! The cabinet is cold because there no heating vent inside it to warm it up! The cabinet itself acts like insulation. But she doesn’t get it. I’d say you are both right. If the air in the cabinet is cold, it’s because heat is being lost to the outside, through the wall, and it’s not being replaced from the rest of the house/furnace. So yes, the cabinet is acting as insulation, but there is also heat loss happening. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-the-thermostat-back-to-conserve-gas/334795/22 "2005-12-09T19:16:30Z")
> [@Tastes of Chocolate](#): > > I’d say you are both right. If the air in the cabinet is cold, it’s because heat is being lost to the outside, through the wall, and it’s not being replaced from the rest of the house/furnace. So yes, the cabinet is acting as insulation, but there is also heat loss happening. Air is a good insulator only if there isn’t circulation in the space from convection. Chances are a kitchen cabinet isn’a all that good because the air in the cabinet circulates thus transfering heat from the inner door to the outer wall. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-the-thermostat-back-to-conserve-gas/334795/23 "2005-12-09T20:03:46Z")
Compare the [R value](http://coloradoenergy.org/procorner/stuff/r-values.htm) of a 4" air film to a 3 1/2" fiberglass batt. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-the-thermostat-back-to-conserve-gas/334795/24 "2005-12-09T20:06:44Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > No no no! I just got home from not being in the house a year. I was glad to find that none of my pipes had burst and the plants hadn’t died. When leaving a house acant for a year the logical solution to that would to turn off the water. Some jurisdictions assess a minimum monthly charge, so it might be worthwhile to cancel the services(s), even though there will be a reconnect fee. This would also prevent damage from a leak in the water pipes, washing machine hoses are a weak point. You should also drain the water system. Water trapped in the water heater and the plumbing system should only be a problem if the temp. drops below freezing for periods of several days at a time. Of course you also have to consider security and insurance problems in a house left empty for months at a time. As to the OP, you could easily set the thermostat in the 40’s, to prevent freezing, and save even more. Even a large house should be up to a comfortable temp. in less than an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-the-thermostat-back-to-conserve-gas/334795/25 "2005-12-09T20:40:18Z")
I put in a wall heater similar to [this](http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/blueflame.jpg) in the dining room a month or so ago. It heats the entire first floor (the dining room, living room, and kitchen) and the heat also rises to the second floor (bedrooms, bathroom). I have not had to raise the thermostat past 58 since then. My heating bill was about $50 less than last year at this time, and the house is a good 7-10 degrees warmer than I would normally keep it in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-the-thermostat-back-to-conserve-gas/334795/26 "2005-12-10T02:02:06Z")
> [@muttrox](#): > > Off Topic: I have had three different models of these, and a huge source of frustration is that the override is cancelled as soon as you hit the next one of those four “time zones”. Why would you design a device where the manual override is automatically overriden? I have also had three different models, and they all include a “hold” button that prevents it from returning to the program at the next cycle, until you hit “clear”. Are you sure you read the directions? One scenario where you want the automatic return feature is if you decide to stay home one day sick, and you don’t want the temperature to drop to 65 during the day, but it’s OK to resume the program at 5:00 when you normally would get home from work. I use this feature sometimes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-the-thermostat-back-to-conserve-gas/334795.md?page=1)