Whether it’s a much-needed vacation or a long trip for work, leaving home means making plans for your heating and cooling system. You can't use it if you’re away, so you can adjust the temperature as appropriate to limit your energy use. At the same time, you don’t want to just shut it down for the entire time you're gone.
Instead, it’s best to leave your HVAC system running and just raise or lower depending on whether it's winter or summer. That way you can lower energy costs without worrying about returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll walk you through why you should leave your HVAC system on as well as the ideal thermostat settings for different times of year.
Here’s Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you might be wanting to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up causing costly problems by the time you get back. This is notably true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
For example, switching the HVAC system down during the summer can produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you come back, but it may have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, letting your house get cold might lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s never fun to get home from a long trip only to come across considerable water damage near a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can optimize the temperature even when you're just going to work. Considering you’re out of the house for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t make sense to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. Generally, it’s recommended to raise the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider raising it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you may save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. As stated by the Department of Energy, you might 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're on a lengthier trip in the heart of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still defending your home from the hassles that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Something like 5 degrees is recommended for short trips while around 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or longer. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer beneficial results.
Best Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter
To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter trip, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will protect your plumbing while limiting how frequently your furnace operates.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to optimize your home’s HVAC system while away is using a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to track your preferred comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi integration, you can remotely access your HVAC system from a smartphone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save even more. To provide an example, specific models can observe electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to fine-tune how long your HVAC system needs to run. It’s the perfect tool to enhance how you use your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can lower 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 cause any trouble while you’re away.