When you go on vacation, it’s tempting to turn off your home’s furnace or air conditioner. After all, you won’t be around, so why should your HVAC system keep working to maintain a comfortable temperature in an empty home? Some people believe that this helps save money on their energy bills and gives their system a break, but simply turning everything off altogether is a bad idea. Depending on when you go on vacation, you could be coming home to an uncomfortably cold or a sweltering hot house, which is not a pleasant experience after a relaxing vacation.
As much as you might want to turn everything off before you leave, your HVAC system should stay on when you’re away. You need to know how to set your thermostat so that you come home to a comfortable house. The optimal setting will depend on when you go on vacation and how long you’ll be gone, so let’s look at a few scenarios so you can keep your home at the proper temperature.
Setting Your Thermostat for a Summer Vacation
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re at home during the summer. If you’re going to be away from home, you can raise that temperature by about 5 degrees. That would mean keeping your home at 83- or 84-degrees. As hot as that may sound, it’s still cooler than most Florida summers. That kind of setting won’t overtax your air conditioner and leave you stuck with high energy bills, and you won’t be coming back to an overly hot and humid house when your vacation is over. If you’ve never liked the 78-degree thermostat guideline and like to keep your home a little cooler, you should still raise your thermostat by 5 degrees before you leave on vacation.
No matter what temperature you like for your home, never turn off your air conditioner before you leave for an extended period. Even if you get lucky and the weather is relatively cool while you’re gone, your AC will still need to work way too hard to bring your home to a comfortable temperature when you get back. Not only could this shorten your AC’s lifespan, but you’ll likely lose any money you might have saved by turning off your AC during your trip. Turning off your air conditioner for that long during a Florida summer will also raise the humidity in your home, which can lead to problems such as mold growth and minor water damage.
Setting Your Thermostat for a Winter Vacation
Winters in Florida are generally mild, so you probably won’t have to worry as much about adjusting your thermostat for a winter vacation. The temperature might stay comfortably in the 70s, but it could go as low as the 40s or 50s. Those may not be freezing temperatures, but they can still make for a rude awakening after your vacation if you’re not used to that kind of cold.
Just as you would raise your thermostat by 5 degrees when you leave for a summer vacation, you should lower the temperature by 5 degrees if you leave your home during the winter. The ideal thermostat setting for the winter months, if you want to keep things as energy efficient as possible, is 68 degrees. That would mean lowering your thermostat to about 62- or 63- degrees during your vacation, which isn’t that cold. And, that temperature setting isn’t much colder than the typical Central Florida winter. On the other hand, if temperatures do drop lower than that, you won’t have to worry about coming home to a cold house. Just like with air conditioning, a furnace will have to work a lot harder to raise the temperature to a comfortable level if you leave it turned off for too long.
Other Things to Consider
There are some other factors to consider when you’re setting your thermostat for your vacation. First, you need to think about how long you’re going to be away from home. If you’re only going to be gone for one or two days, you probably won’t have to worry too much about your thermostat. Just leave it as is, and your home should be safe and comfortable when you get back. If you’re leaving for a few weeks or longer, you should adjust the temperature and your thermostat programming before you leave.
It also helps to check out the weather forecast in your area. You’ve probably done this for your vacation destination already, but you should always know what you’re going to come home to and what you can expect while you’re away. If you’re going on vacation during the winter and the forecast calls for temperatures in the 60s and 70s, you won’t have to make a huge adjustment. It’s another thing entirely if it’s expected to drop down to the 40s or 50s. In any case, it’s best not to set your thermostat to more than 20 degrees higher than the temperature outside. That will just waste energy and put too much strain on your HVAC system.
You also need to be mindful of anything in your home that is sensitive to heat and humidity. Things like antique artwork, furniture, electronics, and musical instruments should always be kept in a climate-controlled environment. A home with a functional HVAC system certainly counts as a climate-controlled environment but not when said HVAC system is shut off or set at the wrong temperature for weeks at a time.
Finally, don’t forget about the advancements in thermostat technology. Reprogrammable thermostats are practically the norm these days, but you should get one if you don’t have one already. A programmable thermostat will adjust the temperature according to a set program, so ideally you should be able to set it and not worry about your home during your vacation. Just make sure that it’s working properly and has fresh batteries before you leave. A smart thermostat is even more useful if you’re going out of town. Smart thermostats can be programmed just like a programmable thermostat, but they also have Wi-Fi connectivity and allow you to monitor and set the temperature in your home from anywhere with an app.
Contact American Air, Plumbing, and Electrical for Assistance
If you have any questions about your thermostat or your HVAC system before you leave for your vacation, American Air, Plumbing, and Electrical will be happy to assist you. We are an HVAC contractor serving Central Florida, Sanford, and Oviedo, and we provide a comprehensive range of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services to your home. Whether you have questions about installing a new thermostat or want to make sure that your heating and cooling system is in good shape before your next vacation, our technicians will be there to answer all your questions.
Contact our friendly team in Sanford, FL to learn more about how American Air, Plumbing, and Electrical can help you.
