A community of timber home enthusiasts and those who love energy-efficient homes

Log Home w/ Radiant Heat - WHAT TEMPERATURE IS NECESSARY FOR HEATING OVER WINTER?

We own a 1-year old log home with radiant heat in New England. The house will be unoccupied Fall / Winter /Spring, with someone checking in every few weeks. My husband thinks we should continually heat it while away. Is this necessary and correct? If so, what is the minimum temperature we should set the radiant heat thermostat temperature at?

We live in a cold, rocky, tree-covered, high-moisture area and are apt to have mold/mildew at the very least if we don't heat.

Any information or suggestions would be welcomed.

Thanks!

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Emily Roache on July 8, 2009 at 2:09pm

Heating unoccupied houses is necessary to prevent the pipes from freezing or bursting, and to prevent condensation (which helps mold and mildew grow, like you mentioned). I've heard that 50 degrees is a good standard setting that will prevent both. Also, you might want to consider a freeze sensing system that will let you know if the temperature drops significantly -- you can check the temperature over the phone or on the internet. That could be caused by a door blown open by the wind (hopefully you'd remember to lock the doors, though!) or a power outage.

Emily