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Winterize House

Leaving the house for the winter

Keep the heat at 55 or higher, and have someone check the house every day. If no one can, shut off and drain the water.

1 min read

The two things an empty house needs

Illinois Extension's advice for a house you are leaving in the cold:

  1. Keep the heat on, set no lower than 55 degrees.
  2. Have someone check the house daily to make sure the heat is still on. A furnace that quits on a cold night in an empty house is how pipes freeze.

If no one can check it, the alternative is to drain and shut off the water system. Extension makes one exception: an indoor fire sprinkler system stays on.

Before you lock up

Watch it from away

A smart thermostat lets you see the temperature and change it from wherever you are. ENERGY STAR says certified models can save about $100 a year in homes that sit empty much of the day.

The steps for pipes and water

  • Find the main water shutoff, and show everyoneIf a pipe bursts, closing the main valve is what stops the damage. Make sure everyone in the house knows where it is and how to turn it.QuickSource
  • Insulate the pipes most likely to freezeThose near outside walls, in crawlspaces and in the attic. Foam sleeves made for pipes slip on; UL-listed heat tape is the next step for a run that still freezes.A projectSource
  • Seal the cold air leaks near pipesA draft on a pipe freezes it faster than still cold air. Seal gaps where cold air gets in around the pipes.A projectSource
  • Open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside wallsIt lets the room's heat reach pipes that have no insulation of their own.QuickSource
  • Let a faucet trickle at nightHot and cold, from a faucet on an outside wall.QuickSource
  • Have someone check the house every day, or drain the waterSomeone stops in daily to make sure the heat is still on. If no one can, shut off and drain the water system (not an indoor fire sprinkler system, which must stay on).A projectSource
Check them off on the houseThe whole checklist

Sources

  1. University of Illinois Extension: Cold weather, frozen pipes? Extension gives you all you need to know extension.illinois.edu
  2. ENERGY STAR: Heat and cool efficiently energystar.gov

Drafted on October 26, 2026 with a language model from the pages listed above, each opened that day, and sampled by the editor after publication. Every figure is computed by the same code the tools run, and a test fails the build if one stops matching.

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Leaving the house for the winter | Winterize House