Vacations can be both fun and relaxing, but it’s important to make sure your home is ready to spend some time without you. In addition to security and storage, you should also make sure that your air conditioner is ready to spend some time alone – without unnecessarily wasting power or developing problems. Here’s a quick vacation checklist to help you get ready!

Set Your Thermostat

If your vacation is only going to last for a few days, then it’s a good idea to turn your thermostat up and just let your house heat up for awhile (while consideration things like pets and plants, of course). That will save money and give your AC unit a rest.

If you’re going to be gone for a longer period of time, it’s often better to make arrangements and turn your air conditioner off entirely before you go to save on unnecessary wear and tear.

There are other factors to consider here. For example, if the weather forecast promises extremely hot weather while you’re gone, turning on the AC may be a good idea since it will save your refrigerator and other coolers from going into overdrive. If you have a caretaker coming over at specific times to feed pets, etc., you may want to make sure the house cools down a bit for them as well.

Upgrade Your Thermostat Before You Go

If you have an older thermostat, this is also a great time to upgrade to a newer model with more advanced features, especially scheduling options. Programmable thermostats allow you to set a schedule to control exactly what temperatures you want throughout the day, hour by hour. You can schedule a whole block of higher temps to give your AC a break when you leave.

Smart thermostats are even more useful for vacationers because they can be controlled via an app and give alerts about the temperature or other conditions in your house. Some even come with vacation modes that help your HVAC to automatically hibernate while you are gone! If you have questions about updating your thermostat, let us know, and we can help you install a model.  

Prepare Your House

Before you leave, make sure the house is ready to stay cool. That includes closing windows (which let in hot air in the day) and closing blinds or curtains (so the sun doesn’t heat up the house). You should also check all the vents in your rooms and make sure they are open, clear and ready to work. If it’s been a while since you replace your HVAC filter, this is also a good time to get that done.

Perform Important Maintenance

If it’s been a while since you have had your AC refrigerant checked or other basic maintenance steps, consider contacting a technician that can arrange to perform important routine maintenance to ensure your unit is ready to go.

Are you interested in arranging for professional HVAC services, even if you’re away? Contact Guaranteed Heating & Cooling before your next vacation, and we’ll help you set up the maintenance that your system needs, so you don’t have to worry.