How Should You Manage Your HVAC System When You're Away From Home for Weeks?

How to manage your HVAC when you are away for weeks

Leaving your Northern Virginia home for a few weeks, whether for a long vacation, a winter escape, or a work trip, raises a question most people do not think about until they are packing: what should you do with the HVAC?

Turning it off entirely can be a costly mistake, especially in our climate.

Why off is the wrong setting

It is tempting to shut everything down to save energy while you are away, but in Northern Virginia's climate that can cause expensive problems.

In summer, a closed-up house with no AC lets indoor humidity climb, creating ideal conditions for mold and mildew. In winter, a house with no heat risks frozen and burst pipes, one of the costliest home disasters there is.

Summer vacation checklist

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  Set the thermostat to about 82 to 85 degrees FahrenheitWarm enough to save energy, cool enough that the AC cycles occasionally to control humidity.
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  Keep humidity in checkThe periodic AC cycling keeps indoor humidity below the mold-risk range, ideally under about 60 percent. For very humid homes, a whole-home dehumidifier helps.
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  Change the air filter before you leaveSo airflow stays clean while you are gone.
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  Close the blindsTo reduce solar heat gain.
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  Turn ceiling fans offThey cool people, not empty rooms.
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  Consider remote monitoringWith a smart thermostat, so you know if something goes wrong.

Winter trip checklist

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  Set the heat to about 55 to 60 degrees FahrenheitNever below 55, to keep pipes safely above freezing.
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  Heat pump owners: avoid a drastic setbackA deep setback forces expensive backup heat on your return. A gentle setback is smarter.
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  Protect against freeze and leaksFor long winter absences, consider shutting off the main water supply and draining lines, and know where your shutoff is.
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  Keep interior doors openSo heat can circulate to rooms with pipes in the walls.
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  Change the air filter
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  Consider remote monitoringTo catch a heating failure before pipes freeze.

Why remote monitoring helps

A smart thermostat lets you check your home's temperature and humidity from your phone, adjust settings remotely, and, most valuably, receive alerts if the temperature or humidity drifts out of range.

That means a heating failure in January or an AC failure in July reaches you while you are away, instead of greeting you as a disaster when you return.

For very long absences

For absences of many weeks or months, also consider having someone check the home periodically, adding smart water-leak and temperature sensors, and, in winter, more thorough freeze protection. The longer you are gone, the more a small precaution pays off.

Why choose Fairfax Mechanical

We are an experienced, licensed Virginia HVAC contractor, and we help you set up your HVAC for extended absences, with proper away settings, humidity and freeze protection, and smart thermostats for remote monitoring, so you come home to a safe, comfortable house. We serve Fairfax and all of Northern Virginia.

Frequently Asked Questions