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Well I've noticed our Con Ed bill goes from $250-$300 to $450-$550 in the winter. during particularly cold monts we've gotten $800 bills so not heating the house for 27% of the month ought to pay off!
Your pipes freezing will cost thousands.
Really? You live in NY and don't have a good understanding of winter house maintenance needs? The outside walls, and the crawlspace under the house, and everywhere else that has plumbing in it... needs your home to be warm to keep from freezing. If the pipes freeze, they can burst, and flood your house.
You can turn it down to 50. But less than that would be penny wise and pound foolish, as they say.
Only if you want to come back to frozen/burst pipes. Just set the thermostat to it lowest setting, and you should be good.
That was my first thought!NEVER turn of the heat in a state that gets freezing weather! OP, have you never lived in a cold weather state before? Set it to about 55-50 as others have suggested and you'll be good! Otherwise you will have some serious issues in your home! The pipes will freeze and burst! And like ADJUSTERJACK stated, your homeowners policy won't pay for the damage as it will be due to your negligence!
Well I've noticed our Con Ed bill goes from $250-$300 to $450-$550 in the winter. during particularly cold monts we've gotten $800 bills so not heating the house for 27% of the month ought to pay off!
What do you have electric baseboard heat? My electric bill is around $50 month, even in winter and I'm much further north than you.
Bet pipes would freeze if you turned off furnace. Can do it but need to drain all the pipes in house by opening taps at lowest ends of house & run faucets in all bathrooms. Nothing can be in pipes. Have to drain water heater too & turn off. Need hose to run it out or to sump pump in basement.
I dealt with no electricity to house for week due to ice storm by shutting off main water. Drain plumbing and water heater. No exploded pipes at my place. Others around me who didn't know this trick had lots of plumbers busy for long while around the neighborhood.
I HATE to leave the plumbing running enough water not to freeze if I'm going to be away from house for any length of time. So turning off main water, draining plumbing and water heater looks like good option if you are ever living in older house and gone for even a weekend. If main water shutoff is a ways inside the house, run a heating cable along it and add insulator for best results. Never can be too cautious.
I really dont think the amount of money you will save would really be worth the trouble of shutting things off, opening doors, doint this, that, whatever.
just keep the heat what ever you normally keep it on and go. If you turn it down, then when you come back you have to turn it up and the heat works harder to get up to that level.
really what would you save, 50 bucks. Its not worth taking the chance of frozen pipes, like a lot of other posters stated, it really isn't.......
50-55 is what we leave it at. You'd be surprised at how cold a house can get in winter when there's no one inside (no heat-producing bodies or appliances) and minimal solar gain. 10 degrees F outside can easily translate to a below-freezing home. If this was the early spring, with the sun shining into the home every day, it might be a different story even with the same temperatures outside.
Okay thanks everyone. I set all thermostats to 55... yes my heat is through baseboards. We have 5 heating zones. Yes im new to the northeast. Well... relatively speaking. I moved from texas and before that from Mexico, so we get giddy when it snows as it is so new to us still.
At those extreme cold temps pipes certainly could freeze. I would leave the heat register right where it should be. I don't think it will go up and down if no one is there opening doors etc.
Bet pipes would freeze if you turned off furnace. Can do it but need to drain all the pipes in house by opening taps at lowest ends of house & run faucets in all bathrooms.<>.
You also need to dump RV antifreeze in all the drain traps and toilets. Don't forget the toilet tanks!!!. Don't leave out the dishwasher and laundry machine. If you have outdoor equipment with water be sure it is drained as well. (Lawn sprayers, tractor, buckets). Disconnect all hoses. Even if you have frost resistant faucets an empty hose will conduct away enough hose to freeze and crack the pipe.
You car windshield washer tank can freeze if you have been filling it with plain water all summer. Use the good stuff.
Other things I have lost? Hummingbird feeders. Decorative items that have gathered water like big bowls.
Good luck and enjoy the trip.
After reading this and remembering having to do all this doing particularly during bad cold spells I am thankful I live in Florida.
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