Whether it’s a relaxing vacation or an extended trip for work, leaving home means making preparations for your HVAC system. You can't use it as long as you’re on a trip, so you can adjust the temperature as needed to conserve your energy use. Simultaneously, you don’t want to just leave it off for the entire time you're out of the house.
Instead, it’s better to leave your HVAC system going and just make adjustments depending on the time of year. That way you can reduce energy costs without stressing about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll walk you through why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for various times of year.
Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you might be tempted to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up leading to annoying problems by the time you get back. This is notably true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
For example, turning the HVAC system off during the summer can produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you return, but it might have also invited mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, letting your house get cold can lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s exhausting to get home from a nice trip only to find considerable water damage close to a broken pipe.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can make temperature adjustments even as you come and go to work. Since you’re out of the house for 8 hours or more, it doesn’t make sense to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. As a general rule, it’s encouraged 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 may save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you could save nearly 10% on your HVAC expenses by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Summer
If you leave for a lengthier trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still defending your home from the issues that come with leaving it without air conditioning. Something like 5 degrees is recommended for brief trips while closer to 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or longer. If you prefer keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer the best results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter
To figure out the most energy-efficient thermostat setting for a winter trip, consider lowering the temperature by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while restricting how long your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to optimize your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is with a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to understand your usual comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for better energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely control your HVAC system from a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are loaded with features to help you save on your energy bill. For example, certain models can monitor electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system needs to run. It’s the perfect tool to enhance how you control your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can lower your costs, in essence getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you are away from home, you can receive true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t cause any trouble while you’re away.