If you’re traveling away from home this holiday season, it may seem smart to shut off your heat. After all, you want to cut back on your energy costs as much as possible, and an empty house may feel like the perfect opportunity to do so. However, it’s best to leave the heating on for the duration of your trip. Here’s a closer look at why this is important and how you can still save on energy while you’re out of town.

How to Heat Your Home While You’re Away

Why It Should Stay On

If you live in an area where temperatures ever drop below freezing—or if there may be an unseasonable cold snap—your major concern is preventing frozen pipes. Your home’s plumbing is mainly kept at a safe temperature by your home’s heating. If you turn that off, the water inside the pipes may freeze and expand, bursting the plumbing and flooding the home. You’ll also want to keep pets comfortable if you’re leaving any of them at home while you travel, such as a self-sufficient cat.

It doesn’t require much energy to keep your home at a slightly cooler temperature while you’re away. This then makes it easy to return it to a comfortable temperature when you get back. Alternatively, raising the temperature from freezing after days or weeks in the cold will require a lot of energy.

How to Maximize Energy Savings

Before you leave, program your thermostat for the duration of your trip. Use the permanent or vacation hold setting to override all your other settings. Set it four degrees lower than normal if you have a pet staying at home while you’re gone. If the home will be empty, you can set it as low as 55 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent frozen pipes. Close all the drapes to trap the heat inside as much as possible.

You can also save on energy by turning the water heater to the lowest setting; you won’t need hot water until you return. Unplug electronics that draw on energy even when they’re powered off, such as your wireless router, computers, and television. Turn off all the lights except for those in the front of the home that you want to put on a timer for security purposes. These can turn on for a few hours after the sun goes down so it appears that you’re home.

Routine HVAC maintenance is key to having an efficient heating system, whether you’re home or not. Comfort Tech Heating and Air Conditioning is a full-service heating and air conditioning company in Thomasville, NC. They offer maintenance, installations, and repairs throughout the Piedmont Triad area. Call them at (336) 472-5858 for a free estimate and mention the website to get $20 off your service.