What temperature should i keep my house at while I am gone?

Question

I am trying to conserve my energy -I have heard 58-then i have heard 62 degrees? which is it?

Answer 1

Where you live is a huge factor in considering what steps and levels you need to pursue in reducing your energy demand to heat your home.

Obviously a three bedroom ranch in Alaska is going to cost considerable more to heat than a two bedroom colonial in South Carolina!

Those dealing with winter climates (lets say states north of Maryland) have some general guidelines that are pretty well accepted.  These include:

*When the cold weather arrives, set the house temp to 60 at night and 58 when everyone is off to work is a good benchmark.

*Close off unused rooms.

*Double check the suggested insulation standards for your area -- especially the attic or crawl space!  These guidelines have changed in the last few years.

*Check the seals on your doors and windows -- these can be stunningly big energy thieves.

Little more than you wanted, but hope this helps.

Answer 2

depends on how long you will be gone.  If you are just gone during the day it will take longer and more energy to get it back to normal every day.  HOwever, like a week or anything, I would say lower because you wouldn't be bringing it back to normal as often

Answer 3

It all depends on where you are going.  I keep my house at 60 at night and during the day when I am at work.  I have house plants and a little dog.  Both are okay at that temp.  55 seems too low and how much more does the furnace need to run to get back up to 67 when I am home?

Answer 4

70 or below.

Answer 5

I used the 62 when I worked all day and 68 when I returned.  If it isn't windy open those curtains for sunlight, close them on windy days or at night.  If you are gone for the weekend, you will save quite a bit at the 62 setting.  Any lower and it takes too much energy to get your home back to comfort level.

Answer 6

Turn off the heat when gone. Totally off. That will save the most energy. If it is summer, turn off the A/C when gone. Any heat or A/C running in an empty house is wasteful. Just let the house go to whatever temperature it wants, no matter how cold or hot. If energy saving and not comfort are the goal that is. If you live in a very cold climate beware of the possibility of freezing pipes. Don't let your house freeze with any water in the pipes or you will ruin all your plumbing! If you have a way to turn it back on remotely so that the house is comfortable when you get back, that would be ideal. Maybe an Internet control or phone based system, although those are rare. There are many thermostats can be programmed to automatically change settings at certain times, but they usually don't have an "off" program. If you have such a thermostat, tell it to use the lowest temperature it will accept for heat and the highest for A/C. That will effectively keep it from coming on at all during the time the house is empty, which is the goal.

Answer 7

Most caves throughout the United States stay at an average temperature of 55 degrees year round. That is a reasonable temperature to conserve energy while you are away and not return to a freezing house. So I would tell you to keep the house between 55 and 60 degrees.

Answer 8

I put mine on 62

Answer 9

68 when you leave and 72 when you return

Answer 10

If you are going on a vacation, as cold as the house plants can surive and warm enough to prevent frozen pipes.

If you are gone for the a few hours, there is not much to be saved.