In my opinion, giving the guests control of the temperature is important, as everyone has a different comfort level - and you want your guests to be comfortable!
What I do is employ technology to optimize the heating schedules and set the appropriate temperature throughout the day. I don't give the onus on the guest to turn things off. Even my lights are controlled by smart technology that turn on and off at a certain time. Basically the guest doesn't have to control anything. But if they wish to do so, they still have that ability.
For the heat, I use Mysa smart thermostats which control the temperature setting throughout the day. The default temperature in the winter is 21 degrees Celsius and it resets every 2 hours or so. The guest can still change the temperature manually, but it will eventually reset to the default, which helps cut down on costs. The thermostats also lower the temperature at night when the guests are typically sleeping (which is actually better for most people). So far, I haven't noticed anyone changing the temperature manually.
For my lights, I use Phillips Hue smart bulbs which have replaced at least 90% of the lights in the home. They turn on around sunset and gradually turn off by 11pm. I give the guests instructions on how to use them and generally have had no issues. I also have a smart lock that locks after 60 seconds.
It does take some time and cost setting these things up initially, but in the long run it's probably the most efficient way to cut down on power and heat consumption. I can monitor everything on my phone and receive alerts for the heat setting if it gets too high. Everything can be controlled by my phone which is a huge plus.
Depending on the size of your place, setting up these automations could get quite involved. So, I suggest starting with the main thermostats and lights. I have about 5 electric baseboard heaters in my Airbnb. What I did was set up 2 smart thermostats and disabled the other ones. I also just removed any lights which were not necessary.
When I return home after a guest's stay, the only things that might still be on are the hood fan light and the bathroom fan. Everything else resets!
