A truly Cdn question...how much do you turn down your heat?

[coastgirl]

So, we leave tomorrow for about 2.5 weeks. It's COLD here, colder than usual. We have electric heat, a fairly new house iwht an air exchanger. Anything I should do? (First time we've had an air exchanger.) I'm thinking I'd turn down the heat to, say, 14C? (Wish I had my programmable thermostat from our old house!) The electric heat is sooo expensive, but I sure don't want anything to freeze while we're away that long. And I do have the choice of making some rooms warmer if there's any reason (I'm thinking the bath/laundry room in the basement?) Our neighbour will have a key but we're farming out the pet and the plants so no reason for anyone to be inside to notice if anything goes wrong, you know?

[Northstar]

Coastgirl, I turn ours down to 10 degrees. But I've never had a problem with pipes freezing... ours are all well insulated/not on outside walls above ground. Do you have a friend who could go in and check things while you're away?

[laura001]

I would turn ours down to 60 degrees. I would think you could go a lot lower though without any problems.

[wee-haggis]

We turned ours way down one year but had a problem upon our return because the furnace had to work so hard to heat the place that it tripped off and we had to restart several times.
I would'nt go any lower than 13 or 14c

[highland3]

I agree with wee-haggis. You'll save $$$ on heat, but still not allow your house to get too cold.

[nosnobunny2006]

We live in a condo and our rules stipulate that the furnace is not to be set below 55F during the winter. At that temperature, there is little risk of frozen pipes, provided your house is well insulated.

There is a second reason to have someone check your house every couple of days....your insurance. Check your policy to see if it requires someone to be in the house regularly. Ours does.

Beth

[B&B Mom]

Hey coastgirl.....you may want to check your homeowners insurance policy before you take off. Some policies require that you have someone check the home daily, there may not be coverage otherwise if something were to happen. This might seem extreme but worth while if there is a problem.

Have a great vacation!!

[coastgirl]

Thanks for the insurance tip. I'll mention it to my neighbour who can "visit" quite easily!!

[dancin Disney style]

My brother is a heating and cooling tech. I asked him last year about turning the temp down when we were away and he said 15 degrees is safe.

I also found out from the gas company that an un-occupied house costs more to heat---- no heat from cooking or lights or bodies etc.

[ferris198]

As an insurance broker, I agree with the other posters who suggest having someone come into the house to check on things, as if there is a problem, the insurance company will deny a claim.
Usually it is ever 48 hours, but check your policy or with your broker.

[soupy11]

Thats a great tip on the insurance - how common is that clause?

[ferris198]

It is pretty well standard on all policies, generally the rule being that someone should be checking the house every 48 hours maxium.
In very cold temps, they should be runnong a tap for a few minutes just to be sure there is no problem.

[soupy11]

The little things you learn on a disney board....lol.

Thanks for all the info!