Whether it’s a tropical vacation or a lengthy trip for work, traveling means making preparations for your heating and cooling system. You can't use it as long as you’re away, so you can adjust the temperature as necessary to conserve your energy use. Simultaneously, you don’t want to just turn it off for the entire time you're out of the house.

In general, it’s best to leave your HVAC system running and just make adjustments depending on whether it's winter or summer. That way you can reduce energy costs without worrying about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll walk you through why you should leave your HVAC system on as well as the most energy-efficient thermostat settings for different times of year.

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Thermostat Alone

While you may be wanting to leave your HVAC system off before a trip, this will sometimes end up causing big problems by the time you get back. This is especially true in case the weather will be severely hot or cold while you’re gone.

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

And during the winter, letting your house get cold might lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s exhausting to get home from a vacation only to find extensive water damage near a broken pipe.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can adjust 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 help your monthly energy bill to keep an empty home the same temperature as when you're home. In general, it’s suggested to turn up the thermostat by 5 degrees or so. Meaning that if you prefer a comfortable 72 degrees, think about increasing it to 76-77 while you’re gone.

But you can save even more if you're open to further adjusting the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you might save around 10% on your HVAC costs by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.

Best Thermostat Settings While Away from Home in Summer

If you’re leaving for a lengthier trip in the hottest part 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 un-air conditioned. About 5 degrees is recommended for shorter trips while a larger adjustment of 10 degrees is ideal if you’ll be away from home for 2 weeks or longer. If you like keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer great results.

Recommended Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter

To figure out the best thermostat setting for a winter trip, just lower the temperature by the same amount you would adjust it in summer. 68 is a popular winter thermostat setting, so adjusting to 63-58 will keep your plumbing safe while minimizing how frequently your furnace operates.

A Smart Thermostat Can Help: Perks of a Smart Thermostat

An ideal strategy to manage your home’s HVAC system while away from home is with a smart thermostat. This innovative type of programmable thermostat uses intelligent software to understand your preferred comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for higher energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi integration, you can remotely adjust your heating and cooling from a smart device like a phone or tablet.

Smart thermostats are stuffed with features to help you save even more. For instance, specific models can track electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are more affordable. They can be used with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to refine how long your HVAC system should run. It’s the perfect tool to enhance how you use your comfort system. If you’re planning on investing in a smart thermostat, there are different ways you can lower your costs, effectively getting a smart thermostat for free. The next time you are away from home, you can appreciate true peace of mind that your HVAC system won’t stir up any trouble while you’re away.