Need advice/strategies on how to heat bonus room (floor plan attached)

[Ansky]

So, I've got a 2200 SF colonial that includes a 330sf bonus room above the garage. My jotul 550 insert is doing a nice job heating the first floor (950 sf) and the second floor (950 sf), but the problem is the bonus room. Access to this second floor room is via a staircase off the first floor (with a door at the bottom of the staircase). I have 3 zones for my oil heat...1st floor, 2nd floor, and bonus room). I attached the floor plans so you can see what is going on.

I figure I have 3 strategies on the best way to minimize oil consumption. The bonus room rarely gets used, so I don't care if its cold up there. Here's my 3 options:

1. Shut the bonus room door at the bottom of the stairs and turn the thermostat in that room down to 50. This is pretty much what I've been doing, but I still hear the oil burner kicking on regularly to heat that room, so that irks me.

2. Keep the bonus room door open so heat from the first floor can go upstairs, and keep the thermostat at 50. I've tried this and it works OK during the day because I have 2 south facing skylights in the bonus room, and the sun warms the room nicely. But at night, the cold air rushes down the stairs and makes my first floor cooler that I care for it to be

3. Keep the bonus room door open, and turn the thermostat up to 64 or so. This way, that room will always be warm (even though we don't use it too much), and I can get the heat from the first floor to offset the oil used to heat the bonus room without getting a cold draft down the stairs? So do you think by turning the thermostat up in the bonus room, I could actually save on oil consumption? Seems like its possible in theory.

So what do you think? Any thoughts and opinions and suggestions welcome.

Thanks,
John

House

First floor

Second floor

 

[Slow1]

Your most economical option is likely to be #1. But that really depends on how often you use the room and what you use if for (i.e. if you have aerobic equipment set up in there you may actually like it cooler when in use vs. using it for sitting and watching TV).

Now - given that this is hearth.com I have to wonder if you considered a small, low clearance stove for that room? Perhaps a pellet stove if you want to leave it running when you are not in there - setting the thermostat low on it may allow very infrequent loading. However, adding any new stove (and chimney system) will likely never be paid back in terms of oil savings if you aren't using the room much....

 

[Ansky]

Yeah, occasionally, if my wife works from home, she will work up there at the desk during the day. At night it almost never gets used. Of course, that's when it's the coldest. I guess I'll just keep turning the thermostat down low at night.

 

[Slow1]

Yeah, occasionally, if my wife works from home, she will work up there at the desk during the day. At night it almost never gets used. Of course, that's when it's the coldest. I guess I'll just keep turning the thermostat down low at night.

I assume that you are using a programmable thermostat - if not, I'd highly recommend it particularly for your use pattern. Some (including the ones we have in the house) allow you to set the basic program, then you can do a temporary override that then resets when designated. So in your use case you would leave the base program (very low at night, perhaps a tad warmer during the day) then when you use the space, raise the temp to comfortable levels and it will then auto-reset at a designated time so you don't forget and leave it warm....