Between a much-needed vacation or a long trip for work, taking a trip means making preparations for your heating and cooling system. You don't need it as long as you’re on a trip, so you can adjust the temperature as appropriate to minimize your energy use. Simultaneously, you don’t want to just turn it off for the entire time you're out of the house.
Instead, it’s best to leave your HVAC system running and adjust the temperature depending on the time of year. That way you can minimize energy costs without worrying about returning 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 on Hold
While you might be inclined to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this will sometimes end up leading to big problems by the time you get back. This is particularly true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.
For instance, turning the HVAC system down in the summer can produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you come back, but it could have also invited mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And over the winter, leaving the furnace off can lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to come home from a vacation only to come across substantial water damage nearby a broken pipe.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can adjust the temperature even as you come and go to work. Since you’re not home for 8 hours or more, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home at the same temperature you’d usually have. In general, it’s suggested to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about increasing it to 76-77 while you’re gone.
But you can save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. As reported by the Department of Energy, you may save about 10% on your HVAC expenses by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer
If you leave for a longer trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still protecting your home from the problems that come with leaving it uncooled. Around 5 degrees is suitable for brief trips while closer to 10 degrees is worthwhile 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 will offer the best results.
Recommended Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter
To try and find the most energy-efficient thermostat setting for a winter trip, consider lowering the temperature by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so lowering it to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while restricting how long your furnace runs.
A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat
An ideal strategy to optimize your home’s HVAC system while away is by investing in a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to monitor your preferred comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic corrections to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely control your heating and cooling using a smart device like a phone or tablet.
Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save even more. For instance, specific models can track electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They are compatible with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine 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 a variety of ways you can bring down your costs, effectively getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you are away from home, you can receive true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re away.