Whether it’s a tropical vacation or an extended trip for work, leaving home means making plans for your home comfort system. You can't use it if you’re on a trip, so you can make adjustments as needed to limit your energy use. At the same time, you shouldn't just shut it down for the entire duration of your trip.

For the most part, it’s best to leave your HVAC system going and adjust the temperature depending on the time of year. That way you can reduce energy costs without worrying about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll review why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the most energy-efficient thermostat settings for summer and winter.

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat Alone

While you could be wanting to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up causing big problems by the time you come back. This is particularly true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.

As an example, turning the HVAC system down in the summer could lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you come back, but it might have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

And in the winter, letting your house get cold could lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s exhausting to come home from a vacation only to come across considerable water damage close to a broken pipe.

Best Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can make temperature adjustments even when you're just going to work. Because you’re not home for around 8 hours or so, it doesn’t make sense to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. Generally, it’s encouraged to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try increasing 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 could save around 10% on your HVAC expenses by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.

Ideal 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 hassles that come with leaving it without air conditioning. Around 5 degrees is suitable for brief trips while around 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be away from home for 2 weeks or longer. If you prefer keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer great results.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter

To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter getaway, simply lower it by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while restricting how often your furnace operates.

A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of Smart Thermostat Installation

A great way to optimize your home’s HVAC system while away from home is using a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to monitor your typical comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for better energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi integration, you can remotely control your HVAC system from a mobile device or tablet.

Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For instance, certain models can observe electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They are compatible with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to optimize how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the perfect tool to simplify how you use your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are multiple ways you can lower your costs, essentially 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.