From a tropical vacation or a long trip for work, leaving home means making preparations for your HVAC system. You don't need it if you’re on a trip, so you can adjust it as appropriate to minimize your energy use. Just the same, you don’t want to just turn it off for the entire time you're gone.
For the most part, it’s best to leave your HVAC system on and just make adjustments depending on the season. That way you can lower energy costs without stressing about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll review why you should leave your HVAC system on as well as the best thermostat settings for summer and winter.
Here’s Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat on Hold
While you may be inclined to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up leading to big problems by the time you return. This is especially true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.
For example, shutting the HVAC system off during the summer will sometimes lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you have returned, but it could have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.
And in the winter, letting your house get cold could lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to come home from a long trip only to come across extensive water damage near a broken pipe.
Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While at Work
You can adjust the temperature even if you’re coming and going to work. Considering you’re out of the house for 8 hours or more, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home the same temperature as when you're home. Generally, it’s recommended to turn up the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider raising it to 76-77 while you’re gone.
But you could save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you could save around 10% on your HVAC spending by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.
Ideal Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer
If you’re leaving for an extended trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still defending your home from the issues that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. About 5 degrees is appropriate for brief trips while around 10 degrees is best if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or more. 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 figure out the most energy-efficient thermostat setting for a winter trip, consider lowering the temperature by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so lowering it to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while limiting 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 innovative type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to understand your typical comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi integration, you can remotely access your heating and cooling using a mobile device or tablet.
Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. To provide an example, specific models can track electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system needs to run. It’s the ideal tool to streamline how you use your comfort system. If you’re considering investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can bring down your costs, essentially getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you leave for vacation, you can appreciate true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t cause any trouble while you’re away.