Whether it’s a tropical vacation or a lengthy trip for work, traveling means making plans for your heating and cooling system. You can't use it while you’re away, so you can adjust it as necessary to minimize your energy use. Just the same, you don’t want to just leave it off for the entire time you're gone.
For the most part, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system on and adjust the temperature depending on the season. That way you can reduce energy costs without stressing about returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the most energy-efficient thermostat settings for various times of year.
Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you might be wanting to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this can end up leading to costly problems by the time you get back. This is particularly true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
As an example, shutting the HVAC system down during the summer could lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you have returned, but it may have also encouraged mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, leaving the furnace off can lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to return home from a long trip only to come across substantial water damage near a broken pipe.
Best Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can optimize the temperature even when you're just going to work. Considering you’re not home for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t make sense to keep an empty home the same temperature as when you're home. Generally, it’s recommended to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider increasing it to 76-77 while you’re gone.
But you can save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you may save around 10% on your HVAC spending by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you’re leaving for a lengthier trip in the middle of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still safeguarding your home from the hassles that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Something like 5 degrees is recommended for brief trips while around 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or longer. If you like keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 should offer beneficial results.
Best Thermostat Settings While On a Trip in Winter
To figure out the ideal thermostat setting for a winter vacation, simply lower it by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so lowering it to 63-58 will protect your plumbing while limiting how often your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat
One of the best ways to optimize your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is with 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 adjustments to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi integration, you can remotely adjust your heating and cooling from 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 bolster heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to optimize how long your HVAC system has to run. It’s the optimal tool to simplify how you use your comfort system. If you’re considering 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 enjoy true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t cause any trouble while you’re away.