The Best Settings for Your Thermostat When You're Away

Between a much-needed vacation or a lengthy trip for work, leaving home means making plans for your heating and cooling system. You can't use it while you’re not home, so you can adjust it as appropriate to conserve your energy use. Just the same, you shouldn't just leave it off for the entire duration of your trip.

Instead, it’s better to leave your HVAC system going and just make adjustments depending on the time of year. That way you can minimize energy costs without worrying about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for different times of year.

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

While you may be inclined to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this could end up causing costly problems by the time you come back. This is especially true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.

For example, switching the HVAC system off in the summer could produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you have returned, but it might have also invited mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

And during the winter, leaving the furnace off will sometimes lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to return home from a vacation only to find extensive water damage near a broken pipe.

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can make temperature adjustments even if you’re coming and going to work. Since you’re away for 8 hours or more, it doesn’t help your monthly energy bill to keep an empty home the same temperature as when you're home. In general, it’s suggested to raise the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. 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. As stated by the Department of Energy, you might save about 10% on your HVAC expenses by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer

If you’re leaving for a lengthier trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make larger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still defending your home from the problems that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. Something like 5 degrees is suitable for shorter trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be away from home for 2 weeks or more. If you prefer keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 can offer the best results.

Recommended Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter

To try and find the best thermostat setting for a winter getaway, simply lower it by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will protect your plumbing while restricting how frequently your furnace runs.

Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat

One of the best ways to optimize your home’s HVAC system while away is with a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to understand your usual comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely access your HVAC system using a smart device like a phone or tablet.

Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, certain models can observe electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system has 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 different ways you can reduce your costs, in essence getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you leave for vacation, you can receive true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t cause any trouble while you’re away from home.