[camp guy]

I have given this answer before, and I still stand by it. Going away isn't easy, and there is a dollar cost involved, but, the dollar cost following a major problem would be significantly more. The small cost saved by turning your heat off would probably not even cover your deductible if you had a problem.

Go ahead and drain what you can, but leave the heat on at a reasonable level, say 55 degrees F, and open all cabinet doors. Engage a property watch specialist to visit and check your house while you are away. These people offer a wide variety of services, and you can set up a Plan to cover virtually any contingency. Do you want plowing done (strongly recommend this), do you want shoveling done (another good idea), do you want the property watch person to walk through your house periodically, do you want to set up a telephone tree of whom to call in the case of problems?

Leave your telephone and cable service in 'active' status.

Talk with any neighbors who already go away and see what they do.

And, maybe first and foremost, do not publically talk about when you are leaving, how long you will be gone, nor where you will be visiting.

I am sure there is more to this list, but this is a start.