What temp is most energy efficient when house is empty, please?

If the house is vacant, keep it at 50 degrees. Overly cold or hot conditions can cause paint to peel, wood cabinets to separate, and all kinds of problems.

The lowest you can get with no area freezing. That may sound like a cop-out answer but temperatures inside a house are not homogeneous. There will always be some cooler areas, especially in older homes. You want to set a temperature that keeps the coolest areas from freezing.

and cause shower tiles to break and splinter

I set my heater at 55 the lowest to keep from freezing & I have 10 animals in the house. But I leave my heater on at 69 at all time as I live in 4 story house (basement cat lives down there, reg floor, upstairs & attic). So winter the house stays cool. We live in a cold state.

No lower than 50 if the house is empty. If you have pets, keep it at a temperature comfortable for them. One of my dogs shivers (and will get sick), if too cold. Thermostat is at 68 at night and 72 during the day in winter, (if you can call it that where I live) and 80 (if possible), in summer.

Hi Linda,

We're near Lake Erie in the Buffalo NY area so we get the cold too. (Plus lake effect storms) I remember driving on the QEW and watching the storm gather on the lake before it hit New York State! Anyway, it our house, we have an automatic thermostat that lowers the temperature during the day - when we would be working - to 55. It would automatically bring the temperature up to 68 before we got home. We'd do the same at night. Once we went to bed the temperature would drop to 55 but in the morning it would be back to 68. We've had programmable thermostats for many, many years. If we're sitting around watching TV, it can feel a little chilly, but it's fun tossing on a soft comfy blanket on top to snuggle with. If we're busy we don't even notice that it. I hope that helps you. -Linda