I have rent charges set up automatically for the duration of the lease and issue new charges each month for utilities I bill back to the tenants. 

It's possible that they are turning up the heat to the maximum because they are part of a utility-subsidized bill program.

We are living in Phuket Thailand currently and this year I utilized the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion to not pay taxes on the first 120k of income. 

My friend @Andrew Bosco specializes in medium term rentals (it should be similar furnishings to STR) and has a pretty sweet checklist that he utilizes for furnishing the property.

I do have cash reserve invested which I wanted to utilize and acquire properties so that this becomes my primary business line and yes, I do have cash flow because my spouse is earning.  

Back when I was doing tons of REOs, I was the one paying for the utilities and yard/house maintenance.

@Steve K. do you charge a utility fee to the tenants for the solar panels?

Utility company can tell you the usage for that day.

Can be structured in a way that you retain maximum flexibility in ability to refinance, sell notes, or utilize as colterol for future endeavors etc etc.. 

That being said, I don't think the bank is going to be sending folks to peep through your window to confirm you live there... but you obviously still shouldn't do anything misleading, hypothetical or not :) If you have utilities or some bills in your name headed to that address, that would adequately show a proof of residence to some capacity.