Between a relaxing vacation or a lengthy trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your home comfort system. You can't use it if you’re away, so you can adjust it as appropriate to conserve your energy use. Simultaneously, you shouldn't just leave it off for the entire duration of your trip.
For the most part, it’s better to leave your HVAC system running and just raise or lower depending on the time of year. That way you can lower energy costs without stressing about returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll review 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 Shouldn’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 causing big problems by the time you come back. This is particularly true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
For instance, switching the HVAC system off in the summer will sometimes lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you have returned, but it might have also encouraged mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And over the winter, not using the furnace might lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s never fun to get home from a vacation only to come across substantial water damage close to a broken pipe.
Best Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can make temperature adjustments even as you come and go to work. Since you’re away 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 recommended to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider increasing it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you may save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. As stated by the Department of Energy, you could save around 10% on your HVAC spending by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you're on a longer trip in the middle of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still protecting your home from the hassles that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Around 5 degrees is recommended for shorter trips while around 10 degrees is best if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or longer. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer beneficial results.
Recommended Thermostat Settings While On a Trip in Winter
To figure out the most energy-efficient thermostat setting for a winter vacation, simply lower it by the same amount you would adjust it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so lowering it to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while limiting how long your furnace operates.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Perks of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to regulate your home’s HVAC system while away is with a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to understand your usual comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi integration, you can remotely control your heating and cooling using a smartphone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For instance, some models can observe electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are lower. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to fine-tune how long your HVAC system has to run. It’s the optimal tool to enhance how you use your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are a variety of ways you can bring down your costs, essentially 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 cause any trouble while you’re away.