When heading out for vacation, people are often faced with a common dilemma – Is it alright to turn the A/C off while we are away? Though you may think that turning it off will save you money in the long run, shutting off your air conditioner while on an extended vacation can actually cause a number of problems and ultimately expenses as well. It is ever so important to properly manage your HVAC system season after season and rather than turning it off altogether when you head out on vacation, to avoid any unnecessary problems, set the thermostat at a higher setting or consider investing in a programmable thermostat or a smart thermostat.
Keep the A/C On
Homeowners are of the mindset that if nobody is at home then why would there be a need to run the A/C at all. There are a couple of really good reasons why you don’t want to turn it off completely. Instead, consider setting the thermostat at a higher setting.
For starters, your HVAC system plays a vital role in managing the humidity in your home. When away on vacation, extreme heat and humidity that is allowed to accumulate in your home can result in mold growth or infestation that can eventually lead to, not only problems within your home, but also health issues from poor air quality as well. In addition, it can lead to musty smells and odors in the home, peeling paint on walls, warping wood and can even harm sensitive electronics that are left behind.- A practical reason why keeping your A/C on while away is the simple fact that when you do return home from vacation your home will be extremely hot and uncomfortable overworking your system to bring it back down to a comfortable temperature. When this occurs, it takes a good deal of time to be able to restore normal temperatures in your living space which means that your cooling system will have to work longer and harder to accomplish the task. When your system has to go into overdrive to restore comfort levels, you are actually using a whole lot more energy to do so and incurring extra costs.
For starters, your HVAC system plays a vital role in managing the humidity in your home. When away on vacation, extreme heat and humidity that is allowed to accumulate in your home can result in mold growth or infestation that can eventually lead to, not only problems within your home, but also health issues from poor air quality as well. In addition, it can lead to musty smells and odors in the home, peeling paint on walls, warping wood and can even harm sensitive electronics that are left behind.Though many homeowners believe that turning off their AC when it’s vacation time will save them energy and money, the truth is that you will ultimately end up wasting both. With that said, investing in a programmable thermostat will allow you to set your thermostat for energy efficiency, whereas a smart thermostat will afford you greater control because you will be able to make changes as needed, when needed. In addition, many of the new thermostats nowadays come with a vacation mode for programming.
Cost and Energy Saving Techniques
If energy efficiency and saving money is what you are concerned about, then it would be remarkably wasteful to keep your A/C system set at routine temperatures while you are away and just as harmful to turn it off entirely. Most homeowners close all their windows and lock their doors when away on vacation so that the home is tightly sealed and safe. With that said, turning up your thermostat in the range of 83 to 85 degrees will allow the air to effectively be circulated throughout your home and prevent the atmosphere from getting way too hot.
When you are using a programmable thermostat, it makes good sense to set the temperatures in the home lower during the scorching hot daytime and then raise them in the cooler evening hours so as to save both energy and cost. If you have a smart thermostat you can easily control the temperatures in your home while away through your smartphone and should you take note of weather changes, adjust the temperatures accordingly.
Here at South Nashville Heating and Cooling we take tremendous pride in our top-rated HVAC products, repairs and services, and that includes keeping our valued clients informed. For more information about keeping your home safe and comfortable while away on vacation, programmable or smart thermostats or to learn more about energy efficient HVAC systems, give a shout out to our team today. We look forward to serving you and to providing you with the highest quality HVAC products, services and repairs this side of Tennessee, whether winter, spring, summer or fall.
