Is it more efficient to leave the heat running overnight, or to turn it off and back on in the morning?

Question

My work buddy and I are in a debate over this. What saves more energy and money? Turning our store's heat completely off for the nightly 13 hours when no one is here and turning it back on when we return the next morning? Or, leaving it on a low setting throughout the 13 hours and not having to fill the store back up with heat in the morning?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

In the long run, it is cheaper & more cost effective to turn the heat DOWN not off, when the store closes.
To turn the heat off,especially in the winter,will cost more. the reason being because #1, you have to bring the heat up each and every morning(to make it comfortable for the customers) & #2, leaving the heat on in the winter will keep some of the liquid stock from freezing & creating a mess which someone WILL have to clean up & will also cost the owner $$ because of the mess.

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Asker's Comment:

Turns out I was wrong (for once)
:)

Answer 2

just leave the heating on low that way it wont cost a lot when you turn it up we dont touch our heating we leave it on 24/7 the house is always warm but not to hot

Answer 3

Do not turn it off. It will take longer and use more energy to get the temperature back up. Just turn it down to around 62 degrees.

Answer 4

leave it on and turn it down to 60

Answer 5

I think it would depend on the kind of heat and how big an area you are talking about. Maybe turning it down a bit but not really low would be a solution. Then it wouldn't take as long to heat up in the morning. My husband says he read that you should keep it at a steady temp most of the time. If it's a home, though, you may want to turn it down a bit more at night for comfortable sleeping, though.

Answer 6

Hi,

Definitively, it going to cost you MORE money to turn it off and then to warm up the store. The best you can do for SAVING money is letting it low (unless it is an antique stuff and you're scared it takes fire or so), but at work i guess you have a regular new enough heating system.

Also it going to take time to warm the store up again and it can make work the heater too much at one time, i don't believe you want it to break for overworking it each morning week. Because it would cost much more money again to fix or replace it.

When you are not at home, do you stop the heater and do you let it go automatically? If you don't stop it at home, just do the same at work. And it is not too agreable to come in a cold store, also it might prevent mold or humidity if you keep it low.

Hope it helps.
Just wondering what was your point in the debate, stopping or letting it go on overnight?

Answer 7

Your question was about saving energy and money.

I suggest you turn it off for that 13 or 14 hrs and when the first person in the store is in, can start the heater ahead of the peak time (say, 20-30 mins before everybody is in). (And commercial places like stores hv to pay bigger bucks than residential ones)

That way you would get comparable amount of energy and money savings plus since it is a store, you can give the stock in your store a breather :-)

(Oh did I forget something - u look cute - is that you)

Answer 8

You actually save money by leaving it on. When you turn the heat off the walls begin to cool... and it takes a lot more to heat the place when the walls have become cold.

You can turn the heat down when away and back up when people are present. This way the walls stay relatively warm. The closer to the outdoor temp you are willing to leave the inside, the less it costs to keep the interior warmed.

In the fall & spring I do leave the heat or AC off for 1/2 the day. In the fall I can turn it off during the warm day and it will remain tolerable through the night... and in the spring I can leave the windows open and it will remain cool through the day. Depends on where you live.