Between a tropical vacation or a long trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your HVAC system. You can't use it as long as you’re away, so you can adjust the temperature as needed to conserve your energy use. Just the same, you don’t want to just leave it off for the entire time you're gone.
Instead, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system on and just make adjustments depending on the season. That way you can minimize energy costs without stressing about returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for different times of year.
This Is Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat Alone
While you may be wanting to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this will sometimes end up leading to big problems by the time you return. This is notably true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
For example, turning the HVAC system off in the summer can cause very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you come back, but it could have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And in the winter, not using the furnace will sometimes lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s never fun to get home from a long trip only to find considerable water damage near a broken pipe.
Ideal 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 seem sensible to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. As a general rule, it’s recommended to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try raising it to 76-77 while you’re at work.
But you may 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 costs by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Summer
If you're on an extended trip in the heart of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still defending your home from the problems that come with leaving it uncooled. About 5 degrees is recommended for short trips while closer to 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be away from home for 2 weeks or more. If you prefer keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer great results.
Best Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter
To figure out the ideal thermostat setting for a winter trip, simply lower it by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a popular winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while restricting how long your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of Smart Thermostat Installation
An ideal strategy to regulate your home’s HVAC system while away is using a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to monitor your typical comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic corrections to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely access your heating and cooling using a smart device like a phone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, some models can observe electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are lower. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to fine-tune how long your HVAC system has to run. It’s the optimal tool to enhance how you control your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are a variety of ways you can lower your costs, essentially 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.