Between a tropical vacation or an extended trip for work, leaving home means making plans for your HVAC system. You can't use it as long as you’re on a trip, so you can make adjustments as appropriate to conserve your energy use. Simultaneously, you don’t want to just turn it off for the entire duration of your trip.
For the most part, it’s better 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 returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll walk you through why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for various times of year.
Here’s Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat Alone
While you may be tempted to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up causing costly problems by the time you get back. This is notably true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.
As an example, turning the HVAC system off in the summer will sometimes lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you come back, but it may have also encouraged mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, leaving the furnace off will sometimes lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to come home from a vacation only to discover extensive 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. Since you’re away for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t make sense to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. As a general rule, it’s recommended to raise the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try adjusting it to 76-77 while you’re at work.
But you can save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you could save nearly 10% on your HVAC expenses by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.
Best Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Summer
If you're on a lengthier trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still protecting your home from the problems that come with leaving it uncooled. About 5 degrees is recommended for shorter trips while a larger adjustment of 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 the best results.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter trip, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a popular winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes 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 from home is using a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to track your usual comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely access your HVAC system using a smart device like a phone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save even more. For example, certain models can monitor electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the ideal tool to simplify how you control your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can reduce 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 stir up any trouble while you’re away.