From a relaxing vacation or a long trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your heating and cooling system. You don't need it while you’re away, so you can adjust it as needed to minimize your energy use. At the same time, you shouldn't just turn it off for the entire time you're out of the house.
In general, it’s best to leave your HVAC system going and just raise or lower depending on the time of year. That way you can minimize energy costs without worrying about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the ideal thermostat settings for summer and winter.
Here’s Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat on Hold
While you may be tempted to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up leading to costly problems by the time you come back. This is especially true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
As an example, shutting the HVAC system down in the summer will sometimes lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you come back, but it might have also encouraged mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, leaving the furnace off will sometimes lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s never fun to get home from a vacation only to discover extensive water damage near a broken pipe.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can adjust the temperature even when you're just going to work. Since 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 encouraged to raise the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider raising it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you may save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you might save around 10% on your HVAC expenses by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you leave for an extended trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make larger adjustments. This helps you avoid using too much energy while still protecting your home from the hassles that come with leaving it uncooled. Something like 5 degrees is recommended for shorter trips while closer to 10 degrees is ideal 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 should offer great results.
Best Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter
To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter getaway, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would adjust it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will protect your plumbing while restricting how long your furnace operates.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Benefits of a Smart Thermostat
A great way to manage your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is with a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to monitor your usual comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely adjust your heating and cooling using a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, some models can monitor 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 perfect tool to streamline how you control your comfort system. If you’re considering 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 are away from home, you can appreciate true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t cause any trouble while you’re gone.