"Michael J. Mahon" wrote:
> My solution was to install a simple timer switch in the thermostat
> circuit that switched on about 4pm and off about midnight.

Sounds reasonable. The point I'm thinking about is sensitivity. The
current thermostats are in closed plastic cases, that's how the internal
feedback through a heating resistor works. It means they're shielded
from rapid changes. If I have a sensor with small thermal mass it will
see a large drop every time someone passes throught the door. So a low
pass is the absolute minimum.

> it is important to anticipate a future need

Not necessarily. With the afternoon sun coming in it tends to get warmer
than the set point. When it cools down, it does so very slowly. After
switching on the floor becomes very comfy in much less than an hour.
Turning off again in time is the more important bit as you have found.
That's the part the internal feedback in those cheapo units supplies.

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