Imagine the sunset evenings with fine dining, late morning wakeups, and afternoons filled with nothing at all. The tantalizing prospects of a vacation have flooded your imagination for months leading up to this moment. You’ve packed your suitcase and planned your itinerary. You even budgeted to make sure you could afford this magnificent and much-needed getaway, but now you want to save even more money. What temperature should you leave your house at while you’re away from home?
Changing the temperature on your thermostat is a simple way to save a few dollars while you’re on vacation. It’s definitely recommended to change the temperature on your thermostat while you’re gone. However, the specifics might be a little different depending on your vacation plans. Take a look at which of these items matches your plans before you touch the thermostat!
Summer Vacation for Less than Four Days
Are you spending a long weekend out of town? A short trip like this one will mean that you should keep your air conditioning running during the summer. Instead of leaving it on the same old temperature, experts recommend setting it up seven degrees higher than usual. This is the same number you should set your thermostat at while you’re at work or during the night. This can help you to save some money on your cooling costs while you’re gone without disrupting the home too much.
Summer Vacation for One Week or More
If you’re heading away for a week or more, you may want to consider turning off your air conditioning unit altogether. You won’t be home to enjoy the cool air for quite a while, so it makes sense to save the money. The heat shouldn’t upset the house, but it may be uncomfortable when you get home. It can take a few hours to adequately cool the house down again once you return.
To make your return more comfortable, you could use a smart thermostat like Nest to turn the air conditioning back on before you arrive. If you take frequent long vacations, this might be your best option.
Winter Vacation
Changing the temperature for your winter vacation is a little trickier because you have to consider whether the pipes will freeze. A short trip might mean that you set the thermostat down eight degrees, just like you would during the day with a programmable thermostat. However, you could set a much lower temperature if you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time. Try set it around 50 degrees to ensure that everything stays warm enough not to freeze in your absence.
Enjoy your latest vacation without worrying about how much your heating and cooling in Winnipeg will cost you. You can go ahead and change the thermostat to help you save a few dollars before you leave. When you get back, you should be able to put it back to the normal temperature. If you find that you need the best air conditioner repair in Winnipeg, give Provincial Heating and Cooling a call!