Rereading the original post, I think the original poster DOES NOT have a heat pump, but the thermostat downstairs thinks he does. Maybe it needs to be reset and reprogrammed. I have a honeywell touch screen tstat that's capable of doing hybrid, etc but I currently only have gas forced air heat, however, I'd bought a NOMA programmable tstat which had a lot of features I liked, but when I hooked it up, it would control the fan ok and would act like it was calling for heat, but heat never happened. If I jumpered the terminals, the furnace would behave normally. Rather than persist with it when it was getting cold and dark on a weekend with no NOMA technical support available, I just went and got the Honeywell. It was fine after that.

Adding to what asolo said, you might not get a hot wash even with a built-in heater, if the heater doesn't run to boost the temperature on the cycle you're using. I sent the following question to Maytag customer service: My laundry room is far from my water heater, so an HE washer is going to fill with cold water, even from the hot tap. My question is, will this washer [MHWE550WJ] extend the wash time if necessary, to allow the internal heater enough time to heat the water to the desired temperature e.g. warm or hot? Also, what are the actual temperatures corresponding to cold, warm, hot? The answer was: The water temperature setting for washer model MHWE550WJ is listed as: Sanitize = The internal heater will raise the temperature of the hot water to approximately 153 degrees F. Hot = Will be what is coming from your hot water heater. Warm = approximately 104 degrees F Cold = Will be tap water cold All but the cold water temperature is based off of a hot water temp coming from the hot water heater at 120 degrees F. The heater is used on select cycles only like the whites and sanitize cycles. Depending on the actual temperature, the heater will attempt to heat the water to reach 153 degrees, however it will not heat indefinitely and can eventually time out. Based on this answer, I wouldn't bet that it'll assure the temperature of a hot wash, on any cycle, if the water comes in cold.

SE Wisconsin: 3 or more inches of snow Friday night and Saturday morning. Sat: Colder. Several accidents on the freeways. North bound US 45 blocked, all lanes. A double bottom truck truck skidded and blocked both lanes. Traffic mess. Sat night: Windy, temp down to 15 F. Sun: High was 20 F. Streets and sidewalks have been cleared. Driving conditions fairly good. Predictions for Monday and Tuesday: Its going to be really cold: single digits overnight for two nights before it begins to moderate. Possibility for light snow on Thursday. WINTER has arrived!

Thanks, Grainlady. It's something I never remember when I'm waiting on wild yeast, and I should. This recipe actually uses commercial yeast--just a small amount for a slow rise. :) Jasdip, the other trick to that is using a clear dough bowl/bucket, with straightish sides so it's easy to judge the volume at a glance. That and a roll of masking tape to mark it. You can use a Sharpie instead, but it's harder to remove (I use wine dregs for that). I have a two quart, heavy glass Anchor Hocking measuring bowl with a tight lid that goes in the dishwasher easily and is just right for a single loaf, which I use for the daily bread. Yeast will still grow in the fridge. Just a lot slower.