From 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 it as appropriate to conserve your energy use. Just the same, you shouldn't just leave it off for the entire duration of your trip.
In general, it’s better to leave your HVAC system running 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 review why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the ideal thermostat settings for various times of year.
Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you could be tempted 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 if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
For example, shutting the HVAC system off during the summer can produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you come back, but it could have also encouraged mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, not using the furnace could lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to come home from a vacation only to find substantial water damage close to a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can optimize the temperature even as you come and go to work. Since you’re away for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home the same temperature as when you're home. In general, it’s recommended to turn up the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try adjusting it to 76-77 while you’re at work.
But you can save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you may save around 10% on your HVAC costs by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you’re leaving for a longer trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make larger adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still defending your home from the problems that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Around 5 degrees is recommended for brief trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be away from home for 2 weeks or longer. If you like keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer the best results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While On a Trip in Winter
To try and find the most energy-efficient thermostat setting for a winter getaway, 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 prevent ice from forming on pipes while restricting how long your furnace operates.
Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Perks of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to regulate your home’s HVAC system while away from home is with a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat employs intelligent software to understand your usual comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi connectivity, you can remotely adjust your heating and cooling with a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. To provide an example, specific models can track electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They are compatible with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to optimize how long your HVAC system needs to run. It’s the optimal tool to simplify how you use your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can bring down your costs, effectively getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you leave for vacation, you can appreciate true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re away.