Between a much-needed vacation or a long trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your home comfort system. You don't need it if you’re not home, so you can make adjustments as appropriate to limit your energy use. At the same time, you shouldn't just leave it off for the entire time you're out of the house.
Instead, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system on and just raise or lower depending on the season. That way you can reduce energy costs without having to worry about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll review why you should leave your HVAC system on as well as the most energy-efficient thermostat settings for summer and winter.
Here’s Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat on Hold
While you may be inclined to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up causing big problems by the time you come back. This is especially true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
For example, switching the HVAC system off during the summer could cause 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 in the winter, not using the furnace can lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s exhausting to get home from a long trip only to discover considerable water damage nearby a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can optimize the temperature even as you come and go to work. Since you’re out of the house for around 8 hours or so, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. Generally, it’s suggested to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about raising it to 76-77 while you’re out.
But you could save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. As stated by the Department of Energy, you might save nearly 10% on your HVAC expenses by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you leave for a lengthier trip in the hottest part 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 uncooled. About 5 degrees is suitable for short trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is ideal 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 should offer the best results.
Best Thermostat Settings While On a Trip in Winter
To try and find the ideal thermostat setting for a winter getaway, just lower the temperature 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 restricting how often your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Perks of a Smart Thermostat
A great way to regulate your home’s HVAC system while away from home is with a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to monitor your typical 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 access your heating and cooling with a smart device like a phone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For instance, certain models can monitor electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to fine-tune how long your HVAC system has to run. It’s the ideal tool to streamline how you control your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can bring down your costs, in essence 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 cause any trouble while you’re away from home.