Between a relaxing vacation or a long trip for work, taking a trip means making plans for your home comfort system. You don't need it if you’re not home, so you can adjust the temperature as necessary to conserve your energy use. Just the same, you shouldn't just shut it down for the entire time you're out of the house.
In general, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system going and adjust the temperature depending on whether it's winter or summer. That way you can minimize energy costs without having to worry about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll review why you shouldn’t turn your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for different times of year.
Here’s Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat Alone
While you could be inclined to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up leading to costly problems by the time you come back. This is notably true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.
For instance, shutting the HVAC system off during the summer can cause very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you have returned, but it could have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And during the winter, leaving the furnace off could lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s never fun to get home from a long trip only to discover extensive water damage nearby a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can optimize the temperature even when you're just going to work. Considering you’re not home for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t help your monthly energy bill to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. As a general rule, it’s encouraged to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider increasing it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you could save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you could save about 10% on your HVAC costs by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you're on an extended trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make larger adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still defending your home from the hassles that come with leaving it uncooled. About 5 degrees is recommended for short trips while around 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or more. If you like keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer the best results.
Best Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To try and find the ideal thermostat setting for a winter vacation, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while minimizing how often your furnace runs.
Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat
A great way to optimize your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is by investing in a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat employs intelligent software to monitor your preferred comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi integration, you can remotely adjust your HVAC system with a smartphone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are loaded with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, certain models can track electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to optimize how long your HVAC system needs to run. It’s the perfect tool to streamline how you use your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are multiple ways you can bring down your costs, effectively 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 from home.