Whether it’s a tropical vacation or a lengthy trip for work, leaving home means making plans for your home comfort system. You don't need it while you’re on a trip, so you can adjust the temperature as necessary to minimize your energy use. Simultaneously, you don’t want to just turn it off for the entire duration of your trip.
In general, it’s better to leave your HVAC system going and adjust the temperature depending on the time of year. That way you can lower energy costs without worrying about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for summer and winter.
Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat Alone
While you might be inclined to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this could end up stirring up costly problems by the time you come back. This is notably true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.
For example, shutting the HVAC system down during the summer can lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you come back, but it could have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, not using the furnace could lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to get home from a long trip only to discover extensive water damage nearby 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 at the same temperature you’d usually have. As a general rule, it’s recommended to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about adjusting it to 76-77 while you’re at work.
But you may save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you may save about 10% on your HVAC costs by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer
If you’re leaving for an extended trip in the middle of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This helps you avoid using too much energy while still defending your home from the problems that come with leaving it without air conditioning. Around 5 degrees is suitable for brief trips while closer to 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be away from home for 2 weeks or longer. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer great results.
Best Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To try and find the best thermostat setting for a winter trip, simply lower it by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will protect your plumbing while limiting how long your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Benefits of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to optimize your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is with a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat employs intelligent software to track your preferred comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely access your HVAC system from a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save even more. For instance, specific 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 streamline how you control your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are multiple ways you can reduce your costs, effectively 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 away from home.