Whether it’s a relaxing vacation or a lengthy trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your home comfort system. You don’t need it while you’re away, so you can adjust it as appropriate to minimize your energy use. At the same time, you shouldn’t just shut it down for the entire time you’re out of the house.
In general, it’s best to leave your HVAC system going and adjust the temperature depending on the time of year. That way you can lower energy costs without stressing about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll review why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the ideal thermostat settings for summer and winter.
Here’s Why You Don’t Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you may be wanting to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this will sometimes end up stirring up costly problems by the time you return. This is particularly true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.
For example, shutting the HVAC system down during 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 stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And over the winter, letting your house get cold will sometimes lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to come home from a nice trip only to come across considerable water damage nearby a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can adjust the temperature even as you come and go to work. Considering you’re away for 8 hours or more, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home at the same temperature you’d usually have. In general, it’s recommended to turn up the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try increasing it to 76-77 while you’re gone.
But you can save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. As stated by the Department of Energy, you might save about 10% on your HVAC spending by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer
If you’re leaving for a longer trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still safeguarding your home from the issues that come with leaving it without air conditioning. Around 5 degrees is appropriate for brief trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or longer. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer the best results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To determine the best thermostat setting for a winter trip, simply lower it by the same amount you would adjust it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while minimizing how often your furnace operates.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Benefits of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to manage your home’s HVAC system while away is by investing in a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat employs intelligent software to monitor your typical comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, 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 instance, some models can monitor electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to fine-tune how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the perfect tool to simplify how you use your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are a variety of ways you can reduce your costs, effectively 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 stir up any trouble while you’re gone.