One of the highlights of summer for many people is vacation, the chance to leave the daily grind and visit sunny shores or green mountains. Before you pack and leave, you’ll need to prepare your home to keep it safe and minimize your energy bills while you’re gone. Many homeowners are uncertain how to handle their AC on vacation—should you turn it off, adjust the schedule, or leave it running? This air conditioning company-approved guide answers that question.

How to Set Your AC Before Vacation

The proper setting depends on the type of vacation you’re taking. If you’re going to be gone on a shorter weekend trip, it’s not worth letting your home reach a high temperature, only to cool it again a few days later. Instead, use the schedule function to raise the temperature to a higher point than normal. Then, you can schedule it to cool the home the day you’ll be back, so you don’t arrive to a stuffy, unpleasant house.

On a longer vacation, at least a week or more, it’s worth shutting off the air conditioning. Once again, a programmable thermostat is vital—if you don’t have one, consider calling an air conditioning company to install one. You can schedule the unit to resume normal running before you return. The only exception is for homes in areas with high heat and humidity—too much moisture could damage wood furniture and artwork, so bump the thermostat up instead if heavy humidity is predicted.

Other Steps to Take

Proactive steps to save energy don’t end with the thermostat. If you haven’t already, you should have an air conditioning company inspect your unit to ensure it’s running efficiently. Make sure you’re staying on schedule with filter changes as well to improve air quality and power usage. Before you take a vacation, close all the curtains and blinds in your home to minimize heat transfer.

With these tips in mind, you can prepare your home fully so you have peace of mind when you’re away. If you need more tips for your HVAC system, want to install a new AC unit, or need a routine maintenance visit, contact Ogeechee Heating & Air Inc. Based in Claxton, this air conditioning company has served southeast Georgia for over a decade. To learn more about their offerings, visit them online. To schedule service, call (912) 739-4035.