Whether it’s a relaxing vacation or an extended trip for work, leaving home means making preparations for your HVAC system. You don't need it while you’re on a trip, so you can adjust the temperature as needed to limit your energy use. Simultaneously, you don’t want to 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 adjust the temperature depending on whether it's winter or summer. That way you can minimize energy costs without having to worry 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 most energy-efficient thermostat settings for summer and winter.

This Is Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat Alone

While you could be wanting 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 notably true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.

For example, turning the HVAC system down in the summer could produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel muggy and uncomfortable when you come back, but it might have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

And in the winter, leaving the furnace off could lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to get home from a vacation only to discover extensive water damage close to a broken pipe.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can make temperature adjustments even as you come and go 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 suggested to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about adjusting it to 76-77 while you’re gone.

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

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer

If you’re leaving for a lengthier trip in the middle of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This helps you avoid using too much energy while still defending your home from the problems that come with leaving it un-air conditioned. About 5 degrees is recommended for shorter trips while closer to 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or longer. If you prefer keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer beneficial results.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter

To determine the ideal thermostat setting for a winter vacation, simply lower it by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a common winter thermostat setting, so lowering it to 63-58 will protect your plumbing while limiting how long 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 by investing in a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to understand your typical comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely adjust your heating and cooling from a smart device like a phone or tablet.

Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save even more. To provide an example, specific models can track electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to fine-tune how long your HVAC system has to run. It’s the ideal 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 reduce your costs, effectively getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you are away from home, you can enjoy true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re away.