From a tropical vacation or a lengthy trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your home comfort system. You can't use it if you’re away, so you can make adjustments as needed to minimize your energy use. Just the same, you don’t want to just shut it down for the entire duration of your trip.
In general, it’s best to leave your HVAC system going and adjust the temperature depending on the time of year. That way you can lower energy costs without worrying about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the ideal thermostat settings for different times of year.
Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat Alone
While you could be wanting to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this could end up causing costly problems by the time you come back. This is particularly true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.
For example, switching the HVAC system down in the summer will sometimes produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you come back, but it might have also encouraged mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And in the winter, leaving the furnace off might lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s never fun to return home from a nice trip only to discover substantial water damage near a broken pipe.
Best Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can make temperature adjustments even if you’re coming and going to work. Considering you’re out of the house for around 8 hours or so, it doesn’t make sense to keep an empty home at the same temperature you’d usually have. Generally, it’s encouraged to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try raising it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you may save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you might save around 10% on your HVAC expenses by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer
If you're on a lengthier trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still defending your home from the problems that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Something like 5 degrees is suitable for brief trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is best if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or more. If you prefer keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer the best results.
Recommended Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To determine the ideal thermostat setting for a winter trip, simply lower it by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a popular winter thermostat setting, so lowering it to 63-58 will protect your plumbing while limiting how often your furnace operates.
Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Benefits of Smart Thermostat Installation
A great way to manage your home’s HVAC system while away from home is with a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to track your typical comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi connectivity, you can remotely control your heating and cooling using a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save even more. To provide an 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 fine-tune how long your HVAC system has to run. It’s the perfect tool to simplify how you control your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are multiple ways you can bring down your costs, effectively 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 away from home.