All of the programable thermostats that I have operated will revert back to the program at the next programed temp change, doesn't yours? That feature eliminates a lot of the heating or cooling when no one is at home.

You might need a power supply for a decoy thermostat or maybe it will look fine with just a battery installed. Your wife must be pretty dumb if she does not figure this out.

This can be a real pain, especially when there is more than one person occupying the house!! You could try installing a programmable Accustat that has no visible control mechanisms. However I think the unrest it would cause would be more unbearable than someone changing the settings. I know if I were in an area where the thermostat was under a locking cover and it is too warm, I would just breathe into the openings until the A/C cut in. I'll bet she could figure that out though. If she is making those adjustments, you may as well make the settings in the ranges she wants. You could throw the switch at the furnace to keep the thermostat from operating but then the temperature swings would be dependent on your being there to manually switch it back on when it is actually needed.

Breathe into the openings? Better to just put a floor lamp under the t-stat. Be sure that there is an old-fashioned 150 W, or better, incandescent in there.

why not look into an ecobee wi-fi stat? At least you could monitor and adjust from your phone or the net.

And what do you think is going to happen when she finds out your little thermostat is a fake? Man..i wouldn't want to be in your shoes! I'd probably make sure i had a good quality jockstrap on !

Some of what you describe sounds like menopause. You'll end up with scissors in your back and your hair on fire. The option Juliekcmo offers has possibilities, so you won't be within reach when you reset the thermostat remotely.

I think your hospital bill will be higher than your energy bill when she figures out what's going on. And how long do you think that will be? I'd bet that she'll be calling a repairman the first day when she resets the temp and the blower doesn't come on. Even the least mechanically inclined person will know that. And then you'll have a repair bill, a hospital bill, and possibly a divorce bill.

Be sympathetic to her change in life. It's not like she has control over her temperature fluctuations. That's one of the most irritating things--the fact that your body is betraying you. It makes you even more irritable. And then you go behind her back to manipulate her environment she's living in. You're living dangerously! It might be safer for you to take up skydiving!

I went with a different approach. I purchased and installed 'the energy detective'. I did this so we could both see how much energy was being consumed and when. I can see the usage on google through the powermeter widget or on any phone or computer on the network at home. She started being more aware of the cost of 'total comfort' compared to even just a degree or two higher or lower depending on summer or winter.

We also learned how much leaving lights on and how many other things impact the wallet. I highly recommend it and it is MUCH safer for you than the way you are approaching it.

Here is a link that might be useful: 5000 series

Wow, she is your wife not a child. Talk to her and come to an agreement. You don't get to dictate to her! You want to save energy she wants to feel comfortable surely you can come to a compromise?

You are a *ric* how selfish can you be. Your wife or dw whatever that means is a typical woman too hot and too cold all at the same time. Good luck chump.

LOL!
have to admit I'm posting because I came back for the TED 5000 info from countryboymo. not because I think OP is thinking sanely.
good luck..think you're gonna need it on this one!

I see that everybody ripped on measure_twice, but nobody had an actual useful answer. I found this forum by searching "decoy home furnace thermostats", so there must be a need I'd say. I live with and take care of my 83 year old father. He has dementia which makes it impossible to reason with him. Even though we have sat down and discussed a fair temperature for all the members of the household (76* by the way, year round), he insists on turning the heat on, even on unbearably hot days. I have a remote programmable and controllable thermostat that alerts me when the temperature is changed. Problem is that when, 83 year old, technologically challenged, Alzheimer's afflicted, dear old Dad starts stabbing at the touch screen to change the A/C to Heat, or the temperature to 87*, he invariably "disconnects" the Wi-fi connection, and I have to surreptitiously reset the thermostat and try to re-pair it to the system, all while the rest of us are baking and sweating like crazy, and without him hearing the beep beep beep of the thermostat. A lot of coughing has to be done to make those changes.

So, back to the original question, is there a decoy thermostat that will indicate that the heat is on, and also provide a dummy temperature reading to "fool" someone who can't really sense hot and cold into thinking that the thermostat and furnace are working, and help convince him to put on a sweater?

while I truly sympathize with your situation...
I don't know anything about about 'decoy' products.
before my little Mom passed away she was always cold.
we ended up putting a radiator type elec heater in her room.
barely on...but it made her comfortable.

best of luck with your Dad & bless your heart for
keeping it a secret that you are resetting tstat.
hope you find a workable solution for everyone.

I would pay for heat in July and pee on a spark plug if it alowed me to have mom around again. May I suggest one of the electric heaters with a fake log burning in it We have one in our den and one in the rv that truly makes us feel more comfortable on cold days. Heck the dog even sleeps in front of it. Your dad might also injoy an aqurium. Most men do their best thinking while watching water or fire.

Perhaps keep the original in it's place as the dummy and then rewire to a new secret location, get it setup via wifi so you don't visit the new location much. ;) You can then adjust the differential.

To klem1 and energy_rater_la, I agree every moment is precious, good or bad, but I like him more at 72 degrees than at 82 degrees :).

Bsmith, I have done exactly what you have suggested. I'll be wiring in the new thermostat this weekend. I've already closed the vents to his rooms so he isn't getting cold air blown on him, and he wears sweaters and bathrobes already. I think with age, poor circulation from diabetes, and the forgetfulness of Alzheimer's, a person loses the ability to generate body heat, remember that they get dehydrated easily, and since he's sitting most the time napping he's not getting heated up.

There are three other folks in this home, me, his son and caregiver, my cousin (his niece) who needs a place to live and assistance as well, and my nineteen year old son, plus the daily parade of caregivers while I'm at work. We can't function with it that hot, and we can only get so naked (not a good sight to behold), so I'm trying a little redirection and technology to see if I can make him feel like he is still in control, but maybe he'll realize he needs a space heater or a better sweater. It's all smoke and mirrors these days. Especially hard because I'm his son, and what dad wants to take advice from his son?

Pee on a spark plug! Love that imagery. I'd do that for my mom too. For dad? I'll try the fake thermostat, lol..

It's very admirable to be a caretaker to your dad. People don't truly *understand* the difficulty of the role and amount of sacrifice.

When my mom first started getting ill all of the burden and responsibility (as a male) fell onto me, while my sisters had something else in mind.... I'll let you imagine what that something else entailed. They are too busy trying to be men as taught by our modern society. ;) She's staying in the house she knows and loves, period.

I'm lucky enough to have a position that allows me to work from home. I decided to move back home years ago to take care of her myself 24/7 without any additional help. It's very demanding, but also very rewarding.

When my mom first went into a 'rehab' center, I visited every day for 4-5 hours a day. I don't trust anyone with her. The nurses there thought my visiting schedule was highly unusual, as most children dropped off their parents only to see them every week or month. They even had discussions about me being too "hands on" and not the "norm." This is the sorry legacy the average child has left for their elderly parents in the US, absolutely sickening. Yet in Asia, I am completely the norm.

As caretakers, sometimes we have to do unusual things to maintain the best for our parents, including setting up dummy thermostats. Whatever it takes. lol In fact, under my care - which includes diet, exercise and supplementation - my mom has gotten much better as to where caring for her gets easier every day. I wish the same for you and good luck in your endeavors.

Just know there are other caring people like you out there in the universe. I know we will be rewarded some day for doing the right things. :)

This post was edited by bsmith on Sat, May 31, 14 at 10:21

Get an ecobee , connect it to the internet and create set points that notify you when the stat is changed. Then call them , let them know they shouldn't change the thermostat and if they can't comply they will be replaced. Hold them accountable.

yep holding a wife going thru the change of life
& a father with alzheimers "accountable".

good deal.

Who would buy a fake yet visually functioning thermostat for people to play with yet be unable to make real changes? Anybody? Say $40, any takers?

I would recommend the lock box for the dementia caretakers. Otherwise for the wife changing the temp, you probably are a bit difficult on temp. It looks set too cold in winter and too hot in summer in my opinion. You are trying to save money on heating/cooling but at what cost. If she changed the setting on a decoy and nothing happened she would still be upset, and you would know about it in one way or another lol. Personally, I hate the programmable thermostats. They require you to be on a tight schedule for it to work. Anyone that works evenings or weekends it simply isnt realistic to try to use a programmable thermostat. Plus, since it isnt keeping the house at the same temp, there is a catch up period when it does engage which arguably can use as much energy as keeping the house the same temp. I know when I tried a programmable thermostat in the winter, the heater ran a long time to get the house back to temp. It might not be too bad with AC.

The HVAC company that put the system in at our church put in a dummy thermostat in the foyer so if someone decided they wanted it cooler or warmer, they could change the thermostat in the foyer and feel like they'd accomplished their mission. They said they did that for most churches they worked on.

However, I think you'd get farther having a conversation with your wife. Her comfort is at least as important as the fact that you have a programmable thermostat.

A Wall Street Journal article said this practice of putting in "dummy" thermostats is getting fairly common in commercial buildings. Someone should sell something that looks like the original Honeywell round thermostat that you can just stick up with double-sided tape.

There are also programmable thermostats that require an access code to make changes.

RE: ...thermostat in the foyer....

I think you mean the Narthex

I figure Op is divorced or nailed on the barn wall by now,no way he's still dealing with this.

Ionized, I've heard it called both. Grew up Episcopal and it was Narthex, spent some time in the Moravian church and it was foyer. Go figure.

Klem

she probably got back at him this way...

This poor guy and me as well came here looking for a answer from a HVAC technician , engineer , sales rep or even accomplished homeowner who solved the problem.

all we got was critical , opinionated self certified marriage counselors with no solutions .

I’m going to innvent one now. apparently its a hot topic and needs a solution. it will be like being an arms dealer to battling nations wrlords. $$$$ Lol

The answer for a dummy thermostat?

Go buy a battery operated thermostat put it on the wall. Insert batteries, remember to replace those batteries annually.

OR find one that doesn't need batteries.

The bigger question is: what will you do to the actual thermostat to hide it's location?

That is next level, call your HVAC contractor. The solution: "What's it worth to you"?

Yeah when people are reminded "real solutions" cost "real money" -- what do they do... belch on a forum board as it were.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

This thread is years old, let it rest in peace.

Came accross this looking for a similar product as my parents have an issue with my dads dementure meaning my 81 year old mum spends her time baking or frezzing . but disturbed as so many assumptions of menapause though, fibro creates more body tempt issues than menapause, and several other conditions can affect in the same way, both men and women , so not keen on seeing so many steriotypical assumptions ,but for dementure this seams to be a regular issue which is why iIm looking here.

@Jerry Jerry my search for the same reason ked me to this thread. I assumed the Nest or something would have that setting as an ada accommodation.

I’m down for an invention.