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Old 04-21-2020, 07:16 AM   #20
Merrymeeting
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Originally Posted by Bear Islander View Post
I don't understand why people leave the heat on in a house that will be unused all winter. You will probably pay 60% to 70% of you regular winter heat bill. That is thousands of dollars. Plus you will spend the winter worrying that the heat is off.

Drain the water, put liquids like shampoo or cleaning fluids in the tub in case they ooze. The hardest part is removing the food.

People will tell horror stories about liquid crystal TVs cracking (they don't). Plaster breaking (it doesn't) Flooring pulling up (nope).

One problem is a single cup coffee maker. There is always water in them and they are very hard to drain.
As with many things in life, everyone has different reasons for doing things they do. I leave the heat on, set at 48. We have a relatively new home that is very well insulated. With the exception of January and parts of early February, we can go weeks without the heat coming on. Solar gain during the day helps offset heat loss at night, and there's lots of thermal mass in the foundation which is absorbing "heat" from the ground. In my case, the cost to shut everything down would be roughly equivalent to what it costs me to keep things on low heat.

While we are gone, our offspring use the house for winter activities, snowmobiling, skiing, etc.. So it works for us for them to be able to use it when desired. (Though not this year due to lack of snow in the area for the snow machines)

I am admittedly a "geek" who enjoys technology and home automation. I have Ecobee thermostats that allow me to remotely monitor the temperature and energy use. I have several cameras that allow me to watch the inside and outside of the house while I'm gone. Sensors in the exterior doors tell me if a door has been opened or closed. And I can control several lights and plugs remotely.

All of this has been done with relatively inexpensive components available at Best Buy, Lowes, etc.. No ongoing subscription or monitoring fees. I've helped several, non-technical friends install similar setups so it's not that complex, and the technologies are getting easier for the average homeowner to install and use.

Is there one weak point in my system? Yes. All of this requires an internet connection to work. But if I lose power or internet, I know almost immediately due to the simple fact that I can't "reach" my devices. As a previous poster noted, if things are not restored in a few hours, I can call one of my sons to check on things. Both are only a little more than an hour away.

In our case, we opted not to install a whole-house, automated generator. In the 9 years that we've lived here full time, we've never lost power for more than a few hours. We do have a transfer switch at the circuit panel, and a manual start generator that is large enough to run the necessary circuits and appliances when needed. The aforementioned sons can start it if/when needed.

Oh, and we have a wood stove in the basement that can keep things warm for a long time if we have a furnace problem.

This setup works for us and our needs. Your mileage may vary.
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