The safest way to cut an empty-home bill is to reduce heating or cooling demand, curb avoidable standby use, and lower water-heating losses without switching off equipment that protects food, health or the property. The right combination depends on trip length, season, climate, humidity, freeze risk and the systems installed in your home.
Use the nine actions below as a decision checklist, not a command to shut everything down. Government guidance from Canada, Minnesota and Australia supports the measures, but their temperature examples and time thresholds reflect local conditions rather than a universal vacation setting.
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Match the action to the length of your trip
Duration changes which measures are worthwhile and which create new risks. A weekend away usually calls for thermostat adjustments, standby-load control and ordinary light switching. A week or more may justify a water-heater vacation mode or, for some storage systems, a complete shutdown. A month-long absence can make refrigerator shutdown worth considering, but only after the appliance is emptied, cleaned and prepared correctly.
| Absence | Practical focus | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Several days | Adjust heating or cooling, lower a water-heater setting, disconnect nonessential electronics and switch off ordinary lights. | Minnesota Commerce recommends lowering water-heater temperature for several days away. |
| More than a week | Consider switching off a storage hot-water system if its manual and local guidance allow it. | Australian government guidance uses more than a week as an example and says to allow time for stored water to reheat sufficiently after restart. |
| A month or longer | Evaluate whether an empty refrigerator can be shut down in addition to the shorter-trip measures. | Minnesota Commerce says to clean it and leave the door open to prevent mold; this is not suitable for a short trip or food left inside. |
Keep electricity and water available where they support refrigeration, security, medical needs, communications or automatic home controls. No general vacation checklist makes it safe to turn off every circuit or the whole water supply in every home.
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1. Set heating or cooling for an empty house
Heating and air-conditioning controls are normally the largest practical lever because they influence the biggest recurring load in a home. Raise the cooling setpoint in hot weather or lower the heating setpoint in cold weather so the system is not maintaining occupied comfort while rooms are empty.
There is no safe universal away temperature. Consider outdoor conditions, pipe-freeze risk, indoor humidity, insulation, the building’s response time and the type of HVAC system. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) notes that some hydronic systems and slow-response heat pumps do not behave like ordinary furnace systems when the thermostat is setback. In winter, NRCan generally cautions against going below 17°C (63°F) unless humidity is kept low, because moisture can build up in exterior walls.
In a hot, humid climate, turning cooling off completely can allow damaging humidity even when the indoor air still feels tolerable. A modest increase in the setpoint, together with closed shades, may be safer than disabling cooling. Minnesota’s energy guidance mentions 85°F as a local summer suggestion; treat that figure as regional advice, not a target for every building.
NRCan reports that a 1°C (2°F) reduction for eight hours can save about 2% of heating energy. That is a general source estimate, not a promise of a particular vacation-bill reduction. Actual results depend on weather, equipment and how long the home remains at the lower setting.
2. Schedule the setback before you leave
A programmable thermostat can change the setpoint automatically during the vacancy and restore a comfortable setting before you return. Program the away period far enough in advance to verify that the schedule follows the correct days and times, and check whether your heating or cooling system has compatibility limits.
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You do not need a smart thermostat to use this approach. A manual adjustment works when the trip is short or the existing control has no vacation schedule. The useful feature is automatic timing, not a particular brand or device.
Check the return transition
- Confirm the thermostat clock and time zone.
- Set the return time after your actual arrival, not merely the day you depart.
- For slow-response systems, allow extra recovery time rather than forcing an aggressive temperature change.
- Make sure a freeze-protection or humidity-control setting, if present, remains enabled.
3. Put the water heater in vacation mode or lower its setting
Water heating can continue to consume energy even when nobody is using hot water. For an absence of several days, Minnesota Commerce advises lowering the water-heater temperature. If your unit has a vacation setting, follow the model’s manual rather than assuming every heater uses the same control sequence.
Before changing the setting, identify whether the system is a storage tank, tankless unit, heat-pump water heater or another design. Controls, recovery times and freeze protections differ. Leave any plumbing protection required by the manufacturer in place, especially in an unheated area.
Restart safely
After returning, restore the normal setting according to the manual and allow enough time for the tank to reach its operating temperature before relying on hot water. Do not improvise a high-temperature “boost” unless the manufacturer provides that function; scald risk and equipment limits still apply.
4. Consider shutting off a storage hot-water system for a longer absence
Australia’s official energy guidance says switching off a storage hot-water system for an absence longer than a week saves energy. That is a jurisdiction-specific example, not a universal rule. Use the threshold only after checking the appliance instructions, local public-health guidance and the type of water system installed.
Stored water must be reheated adequately after the system is turned back on. The Australian guidance specifically warns that you should allow time for the water to become hot enough to kill bacteria. A tank that has been off may not provide usable hot water immediately, even if a tap runs warm.
Do not apply this advice automatically to systems that serve fire protection, medical equipment, recirculation requirements or other essential functions. If you are unsure whether the heater is a storage system or how its controls work, use the lower-temperature or vacation setting described in the manual instead of disconnecting power.
5. Unplug nonessential electronics and small appliances
Televisions, chargers, game consoles, printers, speakers and other electronics can draw power while they appear to be off. NRCan estimates that standby or sleep power may account for 5% to 10% of an electricity bill. Minnesota Commerce cites a broad estimate of around $100 per year for standby power in the average U.S. household. Neither figure is a guaranteed saving for one vacation or one household; they describe general ongoing consumption.
Disconnect equipment that does not need to remain powered during the trip. Leave connected anything required for food preservation, security, health, communications, leak detection, heating protection or an automatic home-control system. Unplugging a modem, camera hub or alarm component can defeat the very monitoring you arranged for the empty house.
Use a switched power bar for grouped devices
A switched power bar lets you cut power to several desk or entertainment devices at once instead of reaching behind each plug. NRCan discusses smart power bars, while Minnesota Commerce suggests power strips or unplugging. A basic strip with a physical on/off switch is sufficient for manual control; it does not create savings unless you actually switch it off.
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6. Keep essential appliances and systems powered
Energy reduction has a boundary: equipment that protects people, property or food should stay on. Australia’s government guidance explicitly identifies refrigerators, freezers, security systems and medical equipment as exceptions to blanket shutdown advice.
- Keep a refrigerator and freezer operating when they contain food or when the trip is a normal short holiday.
- Keep monitored alarms, cameras, internet equipment and environmental sensors powered if you rely on them.
- Maintain power for medical devices, mobility equipment and any required communications.
- Leave pumps, heating protection and other systems on when the manufacturer or a professional says they are necessary.
Check the settings of any essential device before departure. A power-saving mode that disables connectivity or an alarm battery that needs charging can create more risk than the standby electricity it saves.
7. Draw blinds or curtains against hot afternoon sun
Closed shades reduce solar heat entering through sun-exposed windows. Minnesota Commerce recommends drawing blinds or curtains during hot, sunny periods, particularly where afternoon sun hits the glass. This measure is passive, costs nothing if coverings are already installed and works alongside a higher cooling setpoint.
Use the covering that blocks the most direct sunlight without creating a security problem. If curtains conceal signs of occupancy or interfere with ventilation, adjust them to suit the room and the weather. In cold weather, do not close coverings in a way that blocks needed passive solar warmth unless your heating plan calls for it.
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Lights left on all day consume electricity without providing an occupied home with useful illumination. Switch off ordinary indoor and outdoor lights before leaving. If you want a lived-in appearance, use timers for selected fixtures so they operate only during chosen hours rather than continuously.
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A timer is a security choice, not a requirement for energy savings. Test its schedule before departure, account for daylight changes and avoid placing every light on the same pattern. Exterior security lighting, motion sensors and required safety lighting should remain configured according to their purpose.
9. Decide whether a refrigerator shutdown is justified
For a normal vacation, leave the refrigerator and freezer on. Food safety and the cost of replacing spoiled contents outweigh any small saving from switching refrigeration off for a few days. Never disable a freezer that still contains food.
Minnesota Commerce discusses shutdown as an option for absences of a month or more. That approach requires removing all food, cleaning and drying the interior, disconnecting power and leaving the doors ajar so mold does not form. Place the doors so they cannot close accidentally, and follow the appliance manual for defrosting and drainage.
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Build a departure plan without creating new hazards
- Identify the trip length, forecast, freeze risk and humidity conditions.
- Mark essential equipment that must remain powered, including refrigeration, security and medical devices.
- Choose a heating or cooling setback that suits the HVAC type and building; keep winter temperature and humidity within safe limits.
- Program or manually set the thermostat and verify the return schedule.
- Use the water heater’s vacation mode or a lower setting for a multi-day absence; consider a full storage-system shutdown only for a longer trip and with proper restart time.
- Switch off ordinary lights and set timers only for fixtures you want operating.
- Unplug nonessential electronics or turn off their switched power bar.
- Close shades where hot sun would add heat.
- Confirm that refrigerators, freezers and all safety or health equipment still have power before locking the door.
These actions reduce avoidable consumption while preserving the systems that keep an empty home safe. Your actual bill change will depend on weather, equipment, electricity rates and how long the house remains vacant; the cited percentages and dollar figures are broad estimates, not a guaranteed vacation payout.
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