Are you planning to leave the Los Angeles area this winter to visit family or friends? You’re probably too busy wondering what to pack for the kids to bother thinking about your utility bills.
While your gut reaction when leaving the house might be to turn your thermostat off, you shouldn’t turn off your heat completely.
The heating repair experts at Season Control are here to explain why you should leave your heat on while traveling.
Why Turning Your Heater Off Is a Bad Idea
Los Angeles winters are pretty mild. However, temperatures can dip into the high 40s. You might assume that turning your heat off while you’re away will save you money. However, allowing your home to become too cold can do more harm than good.
Whether you’re leaving your house for a weekend or two weeks, it’s essential to keep your heater running, at least on low. This is especially true if you live in an older building. Plummeting temperatures inside your home can damage appliances, houseplants, decorative items, and more. Worse yet, if you’re leaving your pets behind and have a pet sitter dropping by only once or twice a day, your fur babies will become very uncomfortable.
While frozen pipes aren’t common concerns for Los Angeles homeowners, you should still set your thermostat to 55 degrees or higher while you’re away from home for extended periods of time.
Leaving Your Heater on While You’re Away from Home
As we previously mentioned, a good rule of thumb to follow is to set your thermostat to 55+ degrees while you’re traveling. If you have pets, set the temperature to only four degrees lower than it normally is. For instance, if you typically have your thermostat set to 68 degrees, set it to 64 degrees while you’re gone.
This will reduce your electric bill without leaving your pets out in the cold.
Always Properly Set Your Thermostat
Are you running late and afraid you’ll miss your flight? If so, you might accidentally select the wrong thermostat override setting while rushing out the door. The “temporary hold” for daily overrides will resume the regular schedule the next time the pre-programmed setting happens.
Always double-check to make sure you have chosen the “permanent/vacation hold” setting when you leave town. This will override all future settings and won’t resume your normal temperature preference until you cancel the hold upon your return.
Additional Tips and Tricks for When You’re Out of Town
Here are some other useful HVAC tips and tricks to follow before going on vacation.
- Turn your water heater to its lowest setting
- Unplug all of your electronics, including laptops, televisions, and internet modems to save energy
- Turn off all lights except one lamp near the front window for security purposes
- Set your outside lights on timers so they only come on at night
Furthermore, you should prep your heater before you leave. Well before your vacation rolls around, be sure to do the following tasks:
- Clean the heater’s air filter
- Inspect the wiring for any noticeable damage
- Check to see if you hear any unusual noises coming from your furnace
- Schedule a heater maintenance appointment
Contact Season Control Before Your Upcoming Vacation
To ensure your furnace is in tip-top shape before you leave for vacation, contact the heater maintenance experts at Season Control. For the last three decades, we have been Los Angeles’ one-stop shop for all of its HVAC needs. We also specialize in A/C installation, A/C repair, furnace installation, and indoor air quality solutions.
To learn more, contact us today by calling (818) 797-7917. We’ll keep your heater in great shape while you’re away!
