From a tropical vacation or an extended trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your HVAC system. You don't need it as long as you’re not home, so you can make adjustments as needed to limit your energy use. At the same time, you don’t want to just shut it down for the entire time you're gone.

Instead, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system on and adjust the temperature depending on the time of year. That way you can lower energy costs without worrying about coming back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll review why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the ideal thermostat settings for different times of year.

This Is Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat Alone

While you could be tempted to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up stirring up annoying problems by the time you get back. This is particularly true if the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re away from home.

As an example, switching the HVAC system down in the summer can lead to very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you have returned, but it could have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

And in the winter, leaving the furnace off might lead to pipes icing over or even bursting. It’s never fun to get home from a long trip only to find considerable water damage nearby a broken pipe.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can optimize the temperature even as you come and go to work. Because 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 raise the thermostat by 5 degrees or more. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about raising it to 76-77 while you’re at work.

But you may save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you may save about 10% on your HVAC spending by increasing the adjustment to 7-10 degrees.

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Summer

If you leave for a lengthier trip in the middle of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This helps you avoid using too much energy while still defending your home from the hassles that come with leaving it uncooled. About 5 degrees is suitable for shorter trips while around 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 should offer the best results.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter

To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter getaway, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a popular 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

One of the best ways to regulate your home’s HVAC system while away from home is using a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat utilizes intelligent software to monitor your typical comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi connectivity, you can remotely adjust your heating and cooling from a smartphone or tablet.

Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For example, certain models can monitor electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to optimize how long your HVAC system needs to run. It’s the ideal tool to streamline how you control your comfort system. If you’re thinking about investing in a smart thermostat, there are a variety of ways you can lower your costs, essentially 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 gone.