Should You Leave the Heat On While You’re Out of Town? The Safest Thermostat Setting for Winter Travel

Essential Concepts

• Leave the heat on while you’re away to reduce frozen-pipe risk and prevent expensive water damage. (Southern Living)
• A practical winter-away thermostat range is 55°F to 60°F, with 60°F safer when freezing weather is likely. (Southern Living)
• Pipes can be colder than the rooms you live in, especially near exterior walls, attics, and crawl spaces. (The Department of Energy’s Energy.gov)
• Keeping some heat on also helps limit condensation that can contribute to moisture problems indoors. (Southern Living)
• Do not leave portable space heaters running unattended, even for short periods. (Southern Living)

Background

When you leave home in winter, your thermostat becomes a protection setting, not a comfort setting.

Turning the heat off can seem like an easy way to save money. But a cold house can create problems that cost far more than the fuel you did not burn.

The goal is simple: keep the house warm enough that hidden plumbing and colder pockets of the home do not drop to freezing temperatures.

Should you leave the heat on while you’re away?

Yes. Leave the heat on at a low, steady setting. The risk of frozen and burst pipes goes up when indoor temperatures fall too far, especially where plumbing runs through colder parts of the home. (Southern Living)

Best thermostat setting when you’re out of town in winter

The safest default range: 55°F to 60°F

For many homes, 55°F to 60°F is a workable range that balances protection and energy use. (Martha Stewart)

If freezing temperatures are expected, 60°F is a safer target because pipes inside exterior walls and under sinks can cool faster than the rest of the house. (Southern Living)

When to set it higher than 60°F

Set the thermostat higher when your home loses heat quickly or has plumbing in especially cold areas. Drafty construction, limited insulation in wall cavities, and pipes near exterior walls can justify 62°F to 65°F for added margin. (Martha Stewart)

Also choose a warmer setting if anything inside the home requires it for safety, including temperature-sensitive living things.

Why “room temperature” is not the right benchmark

What matters is not the air at the thermostat. The most vulnerable spots are often out of sight, including under sinks, near rim joists, in basements, above garages, in crawl spaces, and in attics. Those areas can run much colder than the living space. (The Department of Energy’s Energy.gov)

Why turning the heat off can backfire

Frozen pipes and water damage

Water expands as it freezes. Even a small crack can become a major leak once temperatures rise again. (Martha Stewart)

Indoor moisture and condensation

A colder home can make surfaces colder, which increases the chance of condensation. Persistent moisture can damage finishes and raise the risk of mold and mildew. (Southern Living)

A hard reheat can stress equipment

Large temperature setbacks can require longer run times to recover. Some systems may not deliver the savings people expect after deep setbacks, especially if the home takes a long time to warm back up. (Southern Living)

How to reduce frozen-pipe risk before you leave

Keep warmer air moving to cold plumbing zones

If a freeze is expected, leave cabinet doors open under sinks that sit on exterior walls so warmer room air can reach the plumbing. (Southern Living)

Make sure interior doors are not blocking airflow to rooms that contain plumbing runs.

Reduce the chance of a major leak while you’re gone

For longer trips, consider shutting off the main water supply and relieving pressure by opening faucets to drain what you reasonably can from the lines. This does not prevent freezing by itself, but it can limit damage if a pipe fails. (Southern Living)

If you do this, confirm any appliances or systems that need water while you are away are handled appropriately.

Know where your plumbing is most exposed

Plumbing in unheated or lightly heated spaces is more vulnerable. Pipe material, insulation, and placement all matter, so avoid assuming one thermostat number is safe for every home. (The Department of Energy’s Energy.gov)

Should you leave a space heater on while you’re away?

No. Do not leave a portable space heater running unattended. It is a fire risk, and it is not an appropriate substitute for whole-home protection while you are out of town. (Southern Living)

Thermostat tips that help while you travel

Use a steady hold instead of large swings

A consistent setting in the protective range is usually safer than turning the system off and hoping the house coasts above freezing.

Remote monitoring is useful

If you can check indoor temperature remotely, you can respond faster to a heating failure, a power outage, or an unexpected cold snap. (Southern Living)

Avoid extreme setbacks with certain systems

Some systems may use more energy to recover from a deep setback than they save while you are gone. If your system struggles to recover quickly, choose a smaller setback and focus on keeping vulnerable areas safely above freezing. (Southern Living)

A simple pre-trip setup for winter

Set the thermostat in a protective range

Use 55°F to 60°F as a starting point, and favor 60°F when freezing weather is likely or your home has known cold spots. (Southern Living)

Open under-sink cabinets if a freeze is expected

This improves warm-air contact around supply lines in common vulnerable locations. (Southern Living)

Consider shutting off the main water supply for longer trips

This can reduce the worst-case damage if a leak starts while no one is home. (Southern Living)

Make sure portable heaters are off and unplugged

Do not leave them running unattended. (Southern Living)

Arrange for a quick check if you’ll be gone for several days

A brief check can catch a furnace failure, a tripped breaker, or an unexpected temperature drop before it becomes a major repair.