Whether it’s a much-needed vacation or a lengthy trip for work, traveling means making plans for your HVAC system. You won’t be using it as long as you’re on a trip, so you can make adjustments as necessary to conserve your energy use. Simultaneously, you don’t want to 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 the season. That way you can lower energy costs without stressing about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll walk you through why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for various times of year.
Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you might be tempted to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up leading to big problems by the time you get back. This is notably true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.
As an example, shutting the HVAC system off during the summer will sometimes cause very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you return, but it may have also encouraged 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 get home from a vacation only to discover considerable water damage nearby a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can adjust the temperature even if you’re coming and going to work. Since you’re not home 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. As a general rule, it’s recommended 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 at work.
But you may save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. As stated by the Department of Energy, you could save about 10% on your HVAC expenses by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Summer
If you leave for a lengthier trip in the heart of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still protecting your home from the issues that come with leaving it uncooled. About 5 degrees is recommended for brief trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or more. If you like keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer great results.
Best Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To figure out the ideal thermostat setting for a winter vacation, consider lowering the temperature by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while restricting how long your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Benefits of a Smart Thermostat
A great way to regulate your home’s HVAC system while away from home is by investing in a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to track your preferred comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely access your heating and cooling with a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, specific models can observe electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are lower. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system needs to run. It’s the optimal tool to simplify how you control your comfort system. If you’re considering investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can reduce your costs, essentially getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you are away from home, you can receive true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re gone.