Whether it’s a much-needed vacation or a lengthy trip for work, traveling means making plans for your HVAC system. You can't use it while you’re on a trip, so you can make adjustments as necessary to limit your energy use. Simultaneously, you don’t want to just leave it off for the entire time you're out of the house.
For the most part, it’s best to leave your HVAC system running and just raise or lower depending on whether it's winter or summer. That way you can reduce 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 ideal thermostat settings for various times of year.
Here’s Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you could be inclined to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this can end up leading to costly problems by the time you return. This is notably true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.
For instance, shutting the HVAC system off during the summer could lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you have returned, but it could have also invited mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And over the winter, not using the furnace can lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to come home from a vacation only to come across substantial water damage near a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can optimize the temperature even as you come and go to work. Since you’re not home for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. In general, it’s recommended to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about increasing it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you may save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you may save around 10% on your HVAC costs by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.
Best Thermostat Settings While on Vacation 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 defending your home from the issues that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Something like 5 degrees is recommended for short trips while around 10 degrees is best if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or more. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer beneficial results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To determine the best thermostat setting for a winter vacation, simply lower it by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while limiting how frequently your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Benefits of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to regulate your home’s HVAC system while away from home is with a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to track your typical comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for better energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi connectivity, you can remotely access your heating and cooling using a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. To provide an example, some models can observe electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They are compatible with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to optimize 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 different ways you can bring down your costs, in essence getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you are away from home, you can enjoy true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t cause any trouble while you’re away from home.