Whether it’s a much-needed vacation or a lengthy trip for work, taking a trip means making plans for your home comfort system. You don't need it while you’re on a trip, so you can make adjustments as necessary to minimize your energy use. At the same time, you shouldn't 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 just raise or lower depending on the season. That way you can reduce energy costs without worrying about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll walk you through why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the ideal thermostat settings for various times of year.

This Is Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat Alone

While you may be tempted to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up causing big problems by the time you get back. This is especially true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.

As an example, shutting the HVAC system down in the summer will sometimes produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you return, but it might have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

And over the winter, leaving the furnace off might lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to get home from a nice trip only to find considerable water damage near a broken pipe.

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can make temperature adjustments even as you come and go to work. Considering you’re not home for around 8 hours or so, it doesn’t make sense to keep an empty home at the same temperature you’d usually have. Generally, it’s suggested to raise the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider increasing it to 76-77 while you’re gone.

But you may save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. As stated by the Department of Energy, you might save around 10% on your HVAC spending by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer

If you leave for a longer trip in the heart of summer, you can make larger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still protecting your home from the problems that come with leaving it without air conditioning. Around 5 degrees is suitable for short trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is best if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or more. If you like keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer the best results.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter

To try and find the ideal thermostat setting for a winter getaway, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while minimizing how often your furnace runs.

A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Benefits of Smart Thermostat Installation

A great way to manage your home’s HVAC system while away is using a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to track your preferred comfort habits. It gradually understands these preferences and makes automatic corrections to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi integration, you can remotely access your heating and cooling using a mobile device or tablet.

Smart thermostats are loaded with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, some models can track electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are lower. They are compatible with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the perfect tool to simplify 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 are away from home, you can appreciate true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re away.