Whether it’s a tropical vacation or a lengthy trip for work, leaving home means making preparations for your home comfort system. You don't need it as long as you’re on a trip, so you can make adjustments as necessary to minimize your energy use. Just the same, you don’t want to just shut it down for the entire duration of your trip.
For the most part, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system on and just raise or lower depending on the season. That way you can minimize energy costs without stressing about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should leave your HVAC system on as well as the ideal thermostat settings for summer and winter.
Here’s Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat on Hold
While you might be wanting to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up stirring up costly problems by the time you return. This is especially true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.
For instance, switching the HVAC system down during the summer can produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you have returned, but it could have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And in the winter, leaving the furnace off can lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s exhausting to return home from a vacation only to come across substantial water damage close to a broken pipe.
Best Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can optimize the temperature even as you come and go to work. Considering 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 encouraged to raise the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try raising it to 76-77 while you’re at work.
But you could save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you could save about 10% on your HVAC spending by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.
Best Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer
If you’re leaving for a longer trip in the middle of summer, you can make larger adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still defending your home from the hassles that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Something like 5 degrees is appropriate for short trips while closer to 10 degrees is worthwhile 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.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter getaway, simply lower it by the same amount you would increase 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.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to optimize your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is by investing in a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to monitor your usual comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic corrections to the schedule for better energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely control your HVAC system using a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are loaded with features to help you save even more. For instance, some models can observe electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the perfect tool to simplify how you use your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are a variety of ways you can reduce your costs, essentially getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you leave for vacation, you can receive true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re gone.