Between a much-needed vacation or a lengthy trip for work, leaving home means making preparations for your heating and cooling system. You can't use it if you’re away, so you can adjust it as necessary to limit your energy use. Simultaneously, you shouldn't 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 whether it's winter or summer. That way you can reduce energy costs without stressing about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for summer and winter.
Here’s Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat on Hold
While you could be wanting to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this could end up causing big problems by the time you get back. This is notably true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.
As an example, turning the HVAC system down during the summer could lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you come back, but it might have also invited mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, letting your house get cold will sometimes lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s never fun to return home from a long trip only to find extensive water damage near a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can make temperature adjustments even if you’re coming and going to work. Considering you’re away for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. Generally, it’s suggested to turn up the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about raising it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you can save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you might save nearly 10% on your HVAC spending by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you’re leaving for a lengthier trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still protecting your home from the problems that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. About 5 degrees is suitable for shorter trips while around 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 should offer great results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter trip, consider lowering the temperature by the same amount you would adjust it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while restricting how often your furnace runs.
Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Perks of Smart Thermostat Installation
A great way to optimize your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is using a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to understand your usual comfort habits. It learns 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 using a smartphone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are loaded with features to help you save even more. For instance, specific models can observe electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They are compatible with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system should 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 multiple ways you can bring down your costs, essentially getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you are away from home, you can enjoy true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re away from home.