from Jane in Janesville, WI:
#570
My mother will be moving out of her house in Wisconsin for the winter. What is the best temperature to keep the empty house to minimize electric bills while not doing any damage to pipes, etc?
Hire a professional to winterize the home.
With electric heat you can probably set the thermostat to its lowest setting (40 degrees). Forced air furnaces should be set higher because of concerns about low entering air temperature; check with the furnace manufacturer or an HVAC contractor for their minimum temperature recommendation. Even at the higher temperature, the furnace will be less expensive to operate. You should also have an HVAC contractor install a device to alert a neighbor or you if the temperature falls below 40 degrees.
The best solution is to hire a professional to winterize the home. This provides the best energy savings because you can turn the heat off and not worry about damage due to an equipment failure or power outage.
Published Tuesday, November 03, 2009