Turning the heat off in winter

Q: We had new oak floors put in 3 years ago. We would like to go away for 3 months in the winter and turn the heat off. What can happen to the floors?

A: Well, it can get damp in the house without fresh air exchange. The sun will pass in the morning and heat up certain rooms and then get cold at night which can cause moisture to condense. You could get some cupping of the wood. Couldn’t you just turn the heat down to 50F and have a neighbour come in every few days or each week just to air the house out a bit?

Here’s a longer answer related to this: What is the lowest wood floor safe temperature that we can have our thermostat set at (when away)?