From a much-needed vacation or a long trip for work, traveling means making plans for your home comfort system. You don't need it if you’re away, so you can adjust it as necessary to minimize your energy use. At the same time, you don’t want to 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 season. That way you can minimize energy costs without having to worry about returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll walk you through why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the ideal thermostat settings for various times of year.
This Is Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you could be inclined to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this can end up leading to costly problems by the time you return. This is notably true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.
For example, turning the HVAC system down in the summer will sometimes cause very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you have returned, but it could have also invited mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And over the winter, leaving the furnace off can lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s exhausting to come home from a long trip only to find considerable water damage close to a broken pipe.
Best Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can adjust the temperature even if you’re coming and going to work. Because you’re out of the house for 8 hours or more, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home at the same temperature you’d usually have. As a general rule, it’s recommended to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about raising it to 76-77 while you’re gone.
But you could save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you could save nearly 10% on your HVAC costs by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Best Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Summer
If you leave for a longer trip in the middle of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still defending your home from the issues that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Around 5 degrees is appropriate for brief trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or more. If you prefer keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer great results.
Recommended Thermostat Settings While On a Trip in Winter
To determine the ideal thermostat setting for a winter vacation, simply lower it by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a popular winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while restricting how often your furnace runs.
Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Perks of Smart Thermostat Installation
A great way to manage your home’s HVAC system while away is with a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat employs intelligent software to monitor your typical comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic corrections to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely access your HVAC system from a smartphone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, some models can monitor electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to optimize how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the optimal tool to simplify how you control your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can bring down your costs, essentially getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you leave for vacation, you can enjoy true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re gone.