Set your Thermostat for Savings During Vacation

Your AC works hard spring, summer, and fall, especially in the Florida heat. When leaving for the weekend or a vacation, it can be tempting to shut the system off completely to save on energy costs. However, it’s more cost effective and safer to leave the system on and add several degrees to the setting.

Turning the AC system off while you’re out of town for a period of time leads to sustained heat and humidity, which can destroy drywall, sheetrock, wallpaper, artwork, wine, or electronics. Humidity can also encourage mold and mildew growth.

If you’re leaving pets at home, it’s important to leave the AC system on. Though pets can live comfortably at higher temperatures than humans, when it’s warmer than 90 degrees outside your pets become uncomfortable.

So, what temperature should you set the thermostat? A good rule of thumb is four degrees higher than your normal temperature. So, if you normally cool the house to 74 degrees, bump the system up to 78 degrees while you are away. Many HVAC experts agree that bumping the system up more than four degrees may cause you to spend the money you save cooling the house back down.

Newer thermostats can be programmed to begin cooling the house before you return. Through a smartphone app, you can bump the temperature back down several hours before you return. Even without a smartphone app, many thermostats allow you to program them to cool down on a specific day and time.

If you would like to explore smart or programmable thermostats before your summer vacation, get in touch with the professionals at Altman’s Cooling & Heating today at 321-300-1407!