As you get ready to take that much-awaited summer vacation, it’s necessary to get your house prepared for the time that you’re going to be away. While you’re likely thinking about who’s going to take care of your pets and pick up your mail, you also need to consider your air conditioning system. It needs to be set at an appropriate temperature to ensure that your home stays safe while you’re on vacation.
Leave It On
It’s pretty common to think that your air conditioning system doesn’t need to be on while you’re away from home if no one’s going to be there. In fact, it may seem a bit counterintuitive to have it running and burning energy that you’re going to have to pay for. However, in the bigger scheme of things, it makes sense to leave it on.
When the weather gets really hot outside, it tends to bring in high humidity levels. As this humid air enters your home, it will up the relative humidity level inside. A high indoor relative humidity level can make your home susceptible to mold growth, insect infestation, and even wood damage.
Humidity Is a Big Issue
Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t even realize that their air conditioning system also works to remove moisture from the air. If your air conditioning system is left off during your vacation, it won’t be able to remove the moisture in the air. Having an indoor relative humidity level of 55% or more creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mold.
Finding a Balance
Once you understand the importance of having your air conditioning system on when you’re on vacation, you may be thinking that it needs to be on all the time. The reality is that your system needs to run just a couple of times a day to remove the heat and humidity from inside of your home. It does not need to run non-stop.
It’s best to turn your air conditioning system on to auto mode. This will allow your thermostat to determine when it needs to kick on and off based on what the actual temperature is in your home. When you set the desired temperature, auto mode will signal to turn your air conditioning system on whenever the actual room temperature is above your desired setting.
What Temperature Is Right?
The truth is there is no one temperature that will fit every home in the nation correctly. Rather, you should take a look at what the temperatures have been in your area over the last couple of weeks. By using this information, you’ll want to set your desired temperature on your thermostat to be about 5 degrees cooler than that.
For example, let’s say that the temperatures in your area have been in the low 90s. You want to set your home thermostat to 85 degrees. This will ensure that your air conditioning system kicks on at least a couple of times throughout the day to remove the humidity from the inside air.
Be Mindful of Pets
It can be easy to get carried away with trying to figure out what the ideal temperature is to set your air conditioning system at when you’re on vacation. If you have pets that you’re going to be leaving at home for someone else to take care of while you’re away, you need to be mindful of your pet’s comfort level.
Most vets recommend setting your indoor air temperature to around 78 degrees to keep your pets comfortable during the summer months. If your pet has very long and thick hair, you may even need to set your thermostat down to 75 or 76 degrees. It’s a good idea to play around with what temperature is going to be the most comfortable for your pet in the weeks leading up to your vacation.
Use a Smart Thermostat
One of the coolest features of the new smart thermostats is that you can adjust them with a few taps of your smartphone screen. This is super convenient when you’re on vacation as you can change your air conditioner settings without actually having to be at your house.
If you have a smart thermostat, it’s advisable to check on the temperature back home every couple of days. If there’s any swing in the temperature, you can easily adjust your thermostat to ensure that the AC runs.
Dependable AC Service
Island Heating & Air Conditioning provides dependable air conditioner services for all citizens throughout the Oak Harbor area. We also specialize in heating, ductwork, air purifiers, and indoor air quality services. Give us a call today, and we’ll assist you with all of your home comfort needs.
Tags: AC Tips, AC Vacation SettingsTags: Air Conditioning
July 28, 2021 8:03 pm
