From a much-needed vacation or a lengthy trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your heating and cooling system. You can't use it if you’re away, so you can adjust it as necessary to limit your energy use. Simultaneously, you shouldn't just leave it off for the entire time you're out of the house.
Instead, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system going and just make adjustments depending on the time of year. That way you can lower energy costs without worrying about returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll walk you through why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the most energy-efficient thermostat settings for various times of year.
Here’s Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat on Hold
While you may be wanting to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this could end up causing annoying problems by the time you return. This is notably true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.
For instance, turning the HVAC system off during the summer will sometimes cause very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you have returned, but it may have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And over the winter, letting your house get cold might lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s exhausting to get home from a long trip only to find substantial water damage near a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can make temperature adjustments even if you’re coming and going to work. Since you’re out of the house for 8 hours or more, it doesn’t make sense to keep an empty home the same temperature as when you're home. Generally, it’s recommended to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about increasing it to 76-77 while you’re gone.
But you could save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you may save about 10% on your HVAC expenses by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Best Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you’re leaving for a lengthier trip in the heart of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still protecting your home from the problems that come with leaving it without air conditioning. Something like 5 degrees is recommended for short trips while closer to 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or more. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer the best results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To try and find the most energy-efficient thermostat setting for a winter vacation, simply lower it by the same amount you would adjust it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while restricting how often your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Perks of a Smart Thermostat
One of the best ways to manage your home’s HVAC system while away from home is by investing in a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to understand your preferred comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi connectivity, you can remotely control your heating and cooling with a smartphone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, some models can track electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are lower. They are compatible with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the ideal tool to enhance how you control your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are multiple ways you can lower your costs, effectively getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you are away from home, you can enjoy true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re away.