House in Progress Diary

What's weird is that right after T.S. Jeanette, T.S. Karl is spinning around doing nothing out in the middle of the atlantic... !

I have a question about your thermostat... I have a bungalow built in 1912 with boiler/radiator heat (boiler was new in 1996) and an old-style thermostat (also new in 1996, but no bells and whistles). I have been told by several people (plumbers, house inspector, and handy friends) that you shouldn't use a programmable thermostat if you have boiler heat because boilers are designed to be kept at a steady temperature.

What made you decide to try the programmable thermostat and how well is it working for you? Do you have a different type of heat source (other than a boiler) that works with radiators?

Erin - I'm not certain we can provide a definitive answer to your question, except that we have had a good experience with our heating since installing the programmable thermostat. We do indeed have a boiler and a single pipe steam system.

I did a Google search and found several reference to programmable thermostats being used with boilers, like this article at On the House. I also have read several comments on the Fine Homebuilding forum indicating the same.