Prepping Your HVAC System for Summer Vacation

Summertime is the season of family vacations and time away from the house.  There are plenty of packing and to-do lists associated with planning for an out of town trip, and your HVAC should be considered as well.  Most people leave their air conditioners running at regular temperatures when they leave for summer vacation to avoid the hassle of re-cooling when they return.  This might seem to make sense, but unless your four-legged friend is staying at home, it’s wasteful to cool an empty home while you’re away.

At some point while you’re packing and confirming travel details, make a short HVAC checklist to go over before you leave.  Here are some of the most important, and simple tips, to maintaining your home’s efficiency and HVAC system’s health while you’re out of town.

1.  Turn your thermostat up, but not off.  It is a huge mistake to leave your home for an extended period of time without some amount of regulated air flow.  Of course this depends on your climate, but in the mid-Atlantic especially, humidity that builds inside a hot home can cause mold and moisture.

2.  Utilize your thermostat’s programmable features.  It is recommended to set the temperature several degrees higher than your normal temperature.  For example, if you typically run the air conditioner at 72° in the summertime, before you leave town, crank it up about 6 degrees.  For the day you return home, make sure the thermostat is programmed to turn the temperature back down a few degrees, but not quite back to 72°, so it’s cooled off for your arrival.

3.  Make sure all windows and doors are fully locked and latched.  This may seem obvious, but we’ve all been known to lock a window only on one side, or we may not take advantage of double locks on our doors.  Making sure each window and door is completely locked in every available place will prevent hot air drafts from entering your home.

4.  Close all mini-blinds and draw the curtains.  This is another guaranteed way to keep sunshine from heating up your home.  Of course, you may want to leave a shade open in a room where you choose to leave a light on.  Choose this window wisely, keeping security purposes at the forefront, but not forgetting when that window gets the most light penetration.

You’re spending enough money on your summer vacation, so why spend money on your home while you’re away?  These four tips are easy and absolutely free.  You planned your vacation for months now give a couple minutes to plan your HVAC system’s vacation.  The result is a safe, comfortable and healthy home.