Between a much-needed vacation or an extended trip for work, leaving home means making preparations for your home comfort system. You won’t be using it if you’re not home, so you can adjust the temperature as needed 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.

In general, it’s ideal to leave your HVAC system going and adjust the temperature depending on whether it's winter or summer. That way you can lower energy costs without worrying about getting back to an uncomfortable home. We’ll explain why you should avoid turning your HVAC system off as well as the best thermostat settings for various times of year.

Here’s Why You Don't Leave Your Thermostat Alone

While you may be wanting to shut your HVAC system down before a trip, this will sometimes end up leading to costly problems by the time you return. This is particularly 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 produce very high humidity. Not only will your home feel gross when you come back, but it may have also stimulated mold/mildew growth or pest infestations.

And during the winter, letting your house get cold can lead to pipes freezing or even bursting. It’s exhausting to come home from a long trip only to discover substantial water damage near a broken pipe.

Energy-Efficient Thermostat Settings While at Work

You can make temperature adjustments even as you come and go to work. Because you’re away for around 8 hours or so, it doesn’t seem sensible to keep an empty home heated or cooled as if you were there. In general, it’s recommended to turn up 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 at work.

But you could save even more if you’re willing to further adjust the temperature. According to the Department of Energy, you could save nearly 10% on your HVAC spending by raising the temperature by about 7-10 degrees.

Energy-Efficient 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 helps you avoid using too much energy while still protecting your home from the issues that come with leaving it uncooled. About 5 degrees is suitable for short trips while closer to 10 degrees is worthwhile if you’ll be gone for 2 weeks or longer. If you enjoy keeping the house at 72 in the summer, 78-82 will offer the best results.

Ideal Thermostat Settings While on Vacation in Winter

To try and find the best thermostat setting for a winter vacation, consider lowering the temperature by the same amount you would raise it in summer. 68 is a frequent winter thermostat setting, so turning it down to 63-58 will protect your plumbing while restricting how long your furnace operates.

Smart Thermostats Are Even Better: Benefits of a Smart Thermostat

One of the best ways to optimize your home’s HVAC system while away from home is with a smart thermostat. This special type of programmable thermostat employs intelligent software to understand your preferred comfort habits. It learns these preferences and makes automatic changes to the schedule for maximum energy efficiency. And with Wi-Fi compatibility, you can remotely control your heating and cooling with a smart device like a phone or tablet.

Smart thermostats are packed with features to help you save energy and lower costs. For instance, certain models can monitor electricity prices to boost heating or cooling when prices are lower. They are compatible with high-efficiency, variable-speed equipment to fine-tune how long your HVAC system has to run. It’s the perfect tool to enhance how you control your comfort system. If you’re considering investing in a smart thermostat, there are a variety of ways you can reduce your costs, in essence 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 cause any trouble while you’re away.