When I went away for the summer, I was able to put my E* account on vacation hold. At the time that cost $5 per month. The longest I did that for was 6 months. Many people who winter in warm climates also do this suspend.
dang, if it was costing me $50 to be on pause, i think i would just downgrade my package to the "family package" and deactivate all of my receivers, lol.