I have a programmable and follow Bobs advice. It makes no sense to have huge swings in temps and have to reheat the entire house when I get home. Our temp range is max 64 and 60 when sleeping.
Anything more than 60 at night and Im too warm.

Saltheart,
I can't answer which is more efficient,forced hot air VS forced hot water,but I can tell you this.For one forced hot water will not cause winter nose bleeds as much like forced hot air,alot of the high efficiency units are condensing which wicks moisture out of the house,but if you add a steam humidifier by April air or Nortec which get costly because you will be needing 208/230 volts to energize a heating element to generate steam,if you go with a cascading pad system and installed properly this will ad sufficient humidity to the dwelling area,you can also run a 24 volt pad & wheel system as well April air,Auto flo ect...
There are two things to conceder one for the humidity to stay in the occupied area the t stat or room temp must be kept at 68* or greater anything less than that the humidifier will be useless.
Secondly these must be maintained or you will get mold or the unit "might" not work right on the next season because the water in the cylinder,pad or tray has now crystallized and will harden on moving parts or heating elements.

As for AFUE results in best efficiency they can debate it,I think there are a ton of scenarios such as house insulation,windows,basement windows,bulkhead,doors/jams,attic insulation,rafters insulated or not,ridge vent etc.there are some many things to conceder.One thing about a furnace is when the burners turn off the fan relay can stay on for 30-60-90 or 120 seconds after the fact this was implemented to optimize efficiency but most say it's blowing cool air after the heat has disipated across the heat exchanger.
As for a boiler when high limit has been reached the burners turn off but the circ pump still delivers hot water,then if the t stat is satisfied it will not call for heat,but the baseboards are still radiating....So again I honestly cant answer your question but just give you my observation.

On a side note if you have allergy's there is a product out the called Guardian air it was created back in the early 90's to combat the Sars virus /bird flu this is a neat UV lite that gets installed in the supply air plenum it works off of 115 Volts and should be tied into the fan relay,this way it will get energized when there is a call for heat or cooling,anyway this product creates good Ozone and it is proactive google it and check it out,I think this it the best product one could have if they suffer from allergies.

I've got lots of things posted here. Curious which one makes me sound like I'm related to your wife? :)

Thanks for the info 5/0. The whole humidification thing seems like a science all to itself. I know my house is too dry usually. When I feel the need , I run a high capacity room humidifier in the bedroom. The only time I seems to really be bothered by the low humidity is when trying to go to sleep and when I first wake up. I tried a big hamper size humidifier once. It really made the floor it was on (all bedrooms except the bathroom on that floor)feel comfortable. It also enables you to run the thermostat at a lower average temp and still feel comfortable.

A bit more info
 

My favorite heat is radiant heat mixed with hydo air.. My problem is that in my home I would have had to do extensive work to get it in. I decided to stay with the forced hot air system when I replaced it 2 years ago.
For allergy and dust filtration I have an Aprilaire filter and it works well. I also have an ultra violet light in the system, between the two add-ons both kids and wife are happy. I was going to install a humidifier but decided to go with just a room humidifier in the two bedrooms. It seems to work easier for us. This is only because I have seen to many systems ruined because the humidifier was never serviced and it leaked all over the place. That and the pads get mold in them. You see the units in your bedroom but everyone forgets the one burried on your system in the basement.
I feel if you are building new construction Radiant heat is the way to go. More costly but in my opinion better. Just educate yourself about the controls and how the system works. Don't assume the guy coming to your house for annual service knows anything about it. I love the outdoor reset joe talks about and have installed many techmar systems. They work awesome and really save you money. The out of pocket expense is a bit. I know the company I worked for before I became disabled installed them and would get up to 2K to install them. They were a high end company so you would have to shop around I guess.

That's exactly why I went with the room humidifiers. Every year and sometimes in the middle of the season , they get a new filter/wick element. Its amazing the junk that deposits and or grows in just a couple of months.

Scorched Air vs Hydronic
 

Gents,
Warm air moved across the human body has a cooling effect reguardless of how well a hot air system is designed,and I think Dave will agree,sooo many are not.I will admit though that the advances in VCM motor technology have made great strides in minimizing this problem.
Hydronic heating relies on stratification.Its not "forced" but none the less is far from perfect.
So to answer the question of which is more efficient.......I still have to say that hydronic heating still delivers the best bang for the buck for the reason I stated in the first paragraph.
And yes,I am a huge fan of radiant floor heating.I installed my first system on Block Island in 1988.Instead of payment I asked for use of the clients home for surf fishing.I still go there every year to fish.You see,this thread is about fishing in the long run!!!
I would continue to install RFH systems and others for the next 17 years,untill I closed my buisness.I now design and sell them to younger guys.....
Radiant heating is the closest one can get to a "perfect"indoor enviroment.There is no form of space heating more comfortable in my opinion,and yes,its in my home.
Joe

Joe, I agree 100 percent with you, No matter how balanced my warm air system is there are always cold spots and heat changes in the home. I do not have zone dampers so trying to get two floors comfortable is almost impossible.
With radiant it is a nice consistant heat that not only keeps you warm but heats very evenly. It is also very easy to zone areas when the design is done by somebody who knows what they are doing. There is no better heat in my opinion.

Up front to install radiant can get costly but in the end you will be so much happier. I think all new homes should have it. I happen to like Watts Radiant best but have installed other brands over the years.

If I built a new home I would have a Viesmann or Buderus Boiler with outdoor reset, an indirect storage tank, and radiant heat and yes a Riello Oil burner. My wife always wanted the radiant towel warmers I installed thru the years. Nothing like heating your bathroom and getting warm towels to boot..

This thread started as a one night warning about the bitter cold . Its turned into a great thread on home heating. Some of the best to the point info I've seen in years.

I enjoyed it also.Now...lets countdown to Spring.AKA-Warm Weather Shutdown.:)

I keep my house hot if it's not 75 in my living room I'm uncomfortable and my wife complains that she's cold, I keep my bedroom cool for sleeping tho

Overall house is about 65, room where wood stove is about 80-85! Move around to warm room if cold and cooler room(s) if hot.