Between a much-needed vacation or a long trip for work, leaving home means making preparations for your HVAC system. You can't use it while you’re away, so you can adjust it as necessary to conserve your energy use. At the same time, you shouldn't just leave it off for the entire duration of your trip.
Instead, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system going and just raise or lower depending on whether it's winter or summer. That way you can minimize energy costs without stressing about getting 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 summer and winter.
Here’s Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you may be inclined to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up leading to annoying problems by the time you come back. This is particularly true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.
As an example, switching the HVAC system down during the summer can cause very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you have returned, but it may have also invited mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And over the winter, leaving the furnace off will sometimes lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s never fun to come home from a long 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 if you’re coming and going to work. Because you’re out of the house for around 8 hours or so, 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 turn up the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try increasing it to 76-77 while you’re at work.
But you can save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. As stated by the Department of Energy, you may save around 10% on your HVAC expenses by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer
If you're on an extended trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make larger adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still safeguarding your home from the hassles that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Around 5 degrees is recommended for brief trips while closer to 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be away from home for 2 weeks or more. If you like keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer great results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To determine the best thermostat setting for a winter vacation, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would adjust it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while minimizing how often your furnace operates.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to manage your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is by investing in a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat employs intelligent software to monitor your typical comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely adjust your HVAC system with a smart device like a phone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are loaded with features to help you save on your energy bill. For instance, specific models can monitor electricity prices to bolster 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 should run. It’s the ideal tool to streamline how you use your comfort system. If you’re considering investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can reduce 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 cause any trouble while you’re gone.