From a much-needed vacation or a lengthy trip for work, taking a trip means making preparations for your heating and cooling system. You don't need it as long as you’re away, so you can make adjustments as necessary to limit your energy use. Just the same, 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 reduce energy costs without stressing about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should leave your HVAC system on as well as the most energy-efficient thermostat settings for different times of year.
This Is Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat Alone
While you might be wanting to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up leading to big problems by the time you come back. This is notably true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.
For example, turning the HVAC system off during the summer will sometimes produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you have returned, but it may have also encouraged mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And in the winter, letting your house get cold will sometimes lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s exhausting to get home from a vacation only to find considerable water damage nearby a broken pipe.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can optimize the temperature even if you’re coming and going to work. Because you’re out of the house for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t help your monthly energy bill to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. Generally, it’s encouraged to raise the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider raising it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you could save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you could save about 10% on your HVAC spending by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Ideal 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 ensures you don’t waste energy while still safeguarding your home from the issues that come with leaving it uncooled. Something like 5 degrees is appropriate for shorter trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or longer. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 should offer the best results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To try and find the ideal thermostat setting for a winter vacation, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so lowering it to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while restricting how long your furnace runs.
Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Benefits of a Smart Thermostat
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 understand your preferred 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 HVAC system using a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save on your energy bill. To provide an example, some models can track electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can be used 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 considering investing in a smart thermostat, there are multiple ways you can lower your costs, in essence getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you leave for vacation, you can receive true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t cause any trouble while you’re gone.