Setting Your Thermostat for When You’re Away

Whether it’s a relaxing vacation or an extended trip for work, leaving home means making plans for your HVAC system. You don’t need it as long as you’re away, so you can adjust it as needed to limit your energy use. Just the same, you shouldn’t just leave it off for the entire time you’re out of the house.

In general, it’s best to leave your HVAC system on and just raise or lower depending on the season. That way you can minimize energy costs without worrying about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should leave your HVAC system on as well as the ideal thermostat settings for different times of year.

This Is Why You Don’t Leave Your Thermostat on Hold

While you may be tempted to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this could end up stirring up annoying problems by the time you get back. This is particularly true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.

For instance, shutting the HVAC system down during the summer will sometimes lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you return, but it could have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

And during the winter, leaving the furnace off will sometimes lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s exhausting to return home from a long trip only to find substantial water damage close to a broken pipe.

Best Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can adjust the temperature even when you’re just going to work. Since you’re away for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t help your monthly energy bill to keep an empty home the same temperature as when you’re home. As a general rule, it’s recommended to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. That means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try adjusting it to 76-77 while you’re gone.

But you could save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you might save nearly 10% on your HVAC spending by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.

Best Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer

If you leave for a lengthier trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still protecting your home from the hassles that come with leaving it uncooled. Something like 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 great results.

Recommended Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter

To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter trip, simply lower it by the same amount you would adjust it in summer. 68 is a popular winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while restricting how frequently your furnace runs.

Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Advantages of Smart Thermostat Installation

An ideal strategy to manage your home’s HVAC system while away from home is with 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 changes to the schedule for better energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi connectivity, you can remotely access your heating and cooling using a mobile device or tablet.

Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save even more. For instance, specific models can observe electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can also work with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the perfect tool to enhance how you use your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are a variety of ways you can bring down your costs, essentially getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you leave for vacation, you can enjoy true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t cause any trouble while you’re gone.