Whenever you leave for fall vacation, you’ll have a number of things to take care of, from cleaning out the refrigerator, to setting the dimmer switches for the lights to come on at night, to making arrangements for the pets. But one thing you should not forget has to do with the thermostat settings for the HVAC.

Hot or Cold?

It can be a toss-up this time of year as to whether to turn on the heat or the air conditioner when you’re away. Weather predictions can help, but admittedly, if you’re gone for a good chunk of time, things may change.

Set your programmable thermostat about 5 degrees up for the air conditioner or 5 degrees down for the heating, depending on which you think you’ll need to run. The main thing, when it comes to heating, is that you don’t want your pipes to freeze, so never set the heater lower than 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. If you think your home will require air conditioning, make sure it will turn on so indoor temperatures are low enough not to stress plants or damage electronics.

You may want to request a friend or neighbor to come over periodically to check the temperature, particularly if weather conditions change drastically. Make sure the friend/neighbor knows how to change over the thermostat if you need to switch from one mode to another, or to adjust the temperature. You’ll always want to be alerted if there’s a malfunction.

Why Wi-Fi is Better

A Wi-Fi thermostat may be an even better choice than a programmable model for vacationers as you can control your HVAC from near or far through an app on your smart device. Need to switch to heating mode when temperatures plummet? No problem with this type of thermostat. Receive weather alerts and adjust the temperature as needed. You may even opt for a system that senses humidity, so that you can adjust it as needed in the home.

Want to learn more about thermostat settings for your fall vacation? Contact Powers Heating and Air. We serve Peachtree City and the surrounding area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040.