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Vacation Energy Savings
It's summertime and that means vacation for a lot of folks. In this continuing 'down' economy, many have opted for a 'stay-cation', or a shorter excursion closer to home. Hopefully, you have a great getaway planned with your family to somewhere fun.
When you're away from home, there's a temptation to turn off your home thermostat completely to save some money—but that is not necessarily the right strategy.
It takes an enormous amount of energy for a system to completely cool down a house that's gotten overheated. Imagine getting in a car that hasn't been started in a while and suddenly trying to drive it as fast as possible. It's a huge strain on the system and could stress it to the breaking point. We've gotten many a call from customers who say, "We just got home last night from vacation, turned on our unit, it ran all night... But now it's not working!"
Also, when a house is shut for a period of time, humidity builds up inside. If your air conditioning unit is turned off, you'll likely return to find your home filled with that unpleasant "musty" odor. That's evidence of mold and mildew that has most likely also seeped into your furniture, your appliances, your artwork, and anything else of value in your home. It's damaging but easy to prevent.
When you leave on vacation, set your thermostat to between 80º and 85º. That will ensure your air conditioning system is ready to go when you return, and your home won't surprise you with any unpleasant smells when you walk in the doors. You'll be back to your everyday life in no time, and without any surprise repair expenses.
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Tip from the Filter Queen
Did you know that an increasing number of thermostats are programmable? Many of the top filter brands we carry—Honeywell, White-Rodgers, American Standard, and others—also offer thermostats that can cycle your air conditioning unit for maximum efficiency. To access this feature, just go to the unit's main menu and select one of the programmable options—typically "Wake," "Day," "Evening," and "Sleep." When you're away or asleep, the helpful EPA recommends that you set the temperature to drop by 8º in winter months or to rise by 7º in summer months. Many of these units also have a feature to remind you when it's time to change the filter. Call us at 866-385-2098, email us or click over to our website to order your replacement filter today.
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