There’s a lot to think about when you are getting ready to go on vacation. One thing that many forget to take care of is adjusting their programmable thermostat before they leave. A programmable thermostat is, of course, a great convenience when you are home — it keeps the ideal AC temperature inside the home without you needing to worry about it.

But when you are on vacation, you probably don’t need to keep the heat or cool air running at the same temperature settings. A programmable thermostat is great for when you are vacationing as well since you can easily set it to maintain an ideal AC temperature for an empty home.

That way, you won’t come home to a house that feels like a sauna in the summer or an icebox in the winter. Many people turn off the air conditioner completely when they leave for vacation to save money, but excess heat and humidity could cause harm to your home, especially if you are away for an extended period.

What Is the Ideal AC Temperature for Vacation?

Ideally, in warm and hot months, you should try to set the temperature to 80-84. This is enough to allow the system to run for a few hours a day, serving to keep the house relatively cool as well as dehumidify it. At these temperatures, it also won’t run up your electric bill.

If you have a Wi-Fi thermostat, you can also make adjustments according to what the outside temperature is going to be. This way, if there is a large fluctuation in the outside temperature, you can set the thermostat to be a few degrees cooler.

Of course, if you have pets that are staying in the home, you’ll want the ideal AC temperature to be a bit more comfortable for them, such as the mid-70s. And if you have someone coming to watch or feed your pets, you can also check to make sure the individual didn’t make an extreme adjustment to the thermostat while they were there.

If you haven’t had a regularly scheduled AC maintenance in a while, it’s also a good idea to have that done before you leave for vacation. The last thing you want is for your AC to experience an issue when you aren’t home to realize it.

For more information about programmable thermostats and Wi-Fi thermostats, or to schedule an appointment for annual air conditioning maintenance, contact One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning today. Our technicians are standing by to assist you with all your AC needs.