Between a tropical vacation or a lengthy trip for work, taking a trip means making plans for your heating and cooling system. You won’t be using it while you’re not home, so you can adjust it as needed to conserve your energy use. At the same time, you don’t want to just turn it off for the entire time you're gone.

Instead, it’s better to leave your HVAC system running and just raise or lower depending on the time of year. That way you can lower energy costs without stressing about returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the most energy-efficient thermostat settings for summer and winter.

Here’s Why You Avoid Leaving Your Thermostat on Hold

While you could be wanting to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up stirring up big problems by the time you return. This is especially true when the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re out of town.

For instance, switching the HVAC system down during the summer could cause very high humidity. Not only will your home feel like a swamp when you return, but it could have also invited mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

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

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can optimize the temperature even when you're just going to work. Since you’re out of the house for 8 hours or more, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home at the same temperature you’d usually have. Generally, it’s recommended to turn up the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, consider raising it to 76-77 while you’re at work.

But you can save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you may save nearly 10% on your HVAC spending by making an adjustment of 7-10 degrees.

Best Thermostat Settings While on a Trip in Summer

If you’re leaving for an extended trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make bigger adjustments. This prevents wasting energy while still protecting your home from the problems that come with leaving it uncooled. Something like 5 degrees is appropriate for shorter trips while closer to 10 degrees is best if you’ll be out of town for 2 weeks or more. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer the best results.

Recommended Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter

To figure out the most energy-efficient thermostat setting for a winter vacation, consider lowering the temperature by the same amount you would raise 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 long your furnace operates.

Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Advantages of Smart Thermostat Installation

An ideal strategy to optimize your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is using a smart thermostat. This advanced type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to track your preferred comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi connectivity, you can remotely control your heating and cooling using a smartphone or tablet.

Smart thermostats are loaded with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For instance, some models can observe electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the ideal tool to simplify how you control your comfort system. If you’re considering investing in a smart thermostat, there are multiple ways you can bring down your costs, effectively 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 stir up any trouble while you’re away from home.