Should I Turn Off My Heating When I Go On Holiday?

If you’re planning on going on holiday, there’s always a long list of things you have to consider. Arranging the passports, tickets and holiday money is just the beginning. There is one other consideration many people worry about – what to do with the central heating . The answer to this quandary lies with when you are actually going away.

In the Summertime

In the summer, the solution is pretty obvious. You can switch off your heating without having any adverse consequences on your home or the central heating system itself. The warmer weather means there will be no effect on your home while you enjoying a beach somewhere.

Colder Times of Year

If you’re planning on leaving your house empty during the colder seasons of the year, however – particularly the winter – then the advice is to leave your boiler on while you are away.

This serves two purposes: it keeps the house warm, meaning there is less chance of pipes freezing if the country is gripped with a cold spell, and it means you will not return to a freezing cold house when you come back home again.

Remember, there is little sense in leaving your heating on full while there is no one there to enjoy it. Turning your thermostat down to, say, 16 degrees will enable your system to keep ticking over at an economical level, maintaining your home’s warmth yet not using too much energy.

There is no need to worry about the cost, either – modern boilers do not use any energy when there is no need for additional warmth.

Modern boilers often have a frost or antifreeze setting for just such an occasion as going on holiday. This allows you to set a low temperature, below which the heating will come on automatically.

A Matter of Safety?

You may worry that your boiler could leak while you are away, and as you won’t be in the house to notice any gas smell, you may return to a home full of fumes or even a burnt-out shell where your house used to be.

Newer boilers are pretty safe – appliances built since 1996 will be fitted with safety measures which make leaks unlikely. If regular boiler servicing is done at the recommended intervals by qualified boiler engineers, there is very little likelihood of a leak occurring. Remember, boiler servicing should be carried out at least every three years, but ideally every year.

However, the advice is different if you have an older boiler with a pilot light. In this scenario, it may be advisable to turn it off when away for some time.