Whether it’s a tropical vacation or a long trip for work, taking a trip means making preparations for your HVAC system. You can't use it while you’re on a trip, so you can make adjustments as needed to conserve your energy use. Just the same, you don’t want to just leave it off for the entire time you're gone.

For the most part, it’s best to leave your HVAC system on and just make adjustments depending on the season. That way you can minimize energy costs without having to worry about getting 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 different times of year.

This Is Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat Alone

While you might be tempted to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up causing costly problems by the time you come back. This is particularly true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.

As an example, turning the HVAC system down in the summer can lead to 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 or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to come home from a vacation only to find extensive water damage nearby a broken pipe.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work

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

But you could save even more if you try further adjustments to the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you may save about 10% on your HVAC spending by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Summer

If you’re leaving for a longer trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still protecting your home from the issues that come with leaving it without air conditioning. About 5 degrees is recommended for brief trips while around 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be away from home for 2 weeks or more. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer great results.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter

To try and find the best thermostat setting for a winter vacation, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while limiting how frequently your furnace operates.

Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat

A great way to manage your home’s HVAC system while out of the house is with a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat employs intelligent software to track your typical comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi connectivity, you can remotely adjust your HVAC system using a smart device like a phone or tablet.

Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save even more. To provide an example, certain models can track electricity prices to increase heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to optimize how long your HVAC system needs to run. It’s the optimal tool to simplify how you use your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are a variety of ways you can reduce your costs, essentially 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 cause any trouble while you’re away.