The Best Settings for Your Thermostat When You're Away

Whether it’s a much-needed vacation or an extended trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your home comfort system. You don't need it while you’re away, so you can adjust the temperature as appropriate to minimize your energy use. At the same time, you don’t want to just shut it down for the entire time you're out of the house.

Instead, it’s best to leave your HVAC system going and adjust the temperature depending on whether it's winter or summer. That way you can minimize energy costs without worrying about returning to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain 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 could be inclined to turn your HVAC system off before a trip, this can end up leading to big problems by the time you return. This is particularly true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.

For example, shutting the HVAC system off during the summer could cause very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you come back, but it might have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

And during the winter, letting your house get cold might lead to pipes freezing up or even bursting. It’s an awful feeling to return home from a vacation only to come across substantial water damage near a broken pipe.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can optimize the temperature even if you’re coming and going to work. Because you’re not home for about 8 hours or longer, it doesn’t help your monthly energy bill to keep an empty home at the same temperature you’d usually have. As a general rule, it’s encouraged to adjust the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. This means that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, try adjusting it to 76-77 while you’re out.

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

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Summer

If you’re leaving for an extended trip in the hottest part of summer, you can make more significant adjustments. This ensures you don’t waste energy while still defending your home from the problems that come with leaving it uncooled. About 5 degrees is appropriate for short trips while around 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or more. If you prefer keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 should offer the best results.

Recommended Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Winter

To try and find the most energy-efficient thermostat setting for a winter getaway, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would increase it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so lowering it to 63-58 will prevent ice from forming on pipes while restricting how often your furnace operates.

A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Advantages of a Smart Thermostat

One of the best ways to regulate your home’s HVAC system while away is by investing in a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to understand your preferred comfort habits. It applies these preferences and makes automatic adjustments to the schedule for better energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely access your heating and cooling using a smart device like a phone or tablet.

Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save on your energy bill. For instance, some models can observe electricity prices to bolster heating or cooling when prices are lowest. They can also work 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 considering 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 enjoy true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re away from home.