Leaving AC on during vacation (appliances, how much, house)

[sdhivya]

Hi,

If you were to go out of town for like a week - 2 weeks, do you turn the AC off or just let it run all week ? Whats a better option and why ?

Thanks !

[Ponderosa]

I set mine to 89. Probably could turn it off as it really doesn't run much at that temp anyway. We had an extended power failure here several years ago in mid-summer and the hottest it got inside was low 90s.

[AZJoeD]

I would just set high, maybe 85-86. It will probably only come on during the hottest part of the day. It will be worth a few dollars not to worry about anything like candles, plants, etc.

Probably turn your HW heater up, no sense heating water you are not going to use.

Don't forget to turn off water to your washer/dryer or other appliances that have water lines. Maybe even your toilets. So you don't come home to a flooded house.

[PhoenixSomeday]

If it's summer and we go on vacation, we turn the ac up to 85 while we're gone. Really don't need anything melting. Plenty of household items are sensitive to a handful of degrees. 79 vs 85 could mean melting a little. Not dramatically, but enough to ruin.

[stevek64]

We turn it off completely. Why waste electricity/AC use for nothing?

If we have any food items that need cooling/can spoil quicker in the warmth/that can melt, it goes in the fridge.

[ScottsdaleMark]

I set it to 85 myself the last time I went away in blazing temps. Outside of the heat of summer, I just turn the heat/AC off entirely.

I do leave it on at 85 for the hottest months this mostly for the benefit of things like paintings, photographs, electronics, etc., that may be damaged by extended exposure to high heat ... it's hard to say how much of an impact 85 has versus the 95+ it would get on even the hottest of days without AC but we've all seen that there's a lot of stuff that doesn't store well in the garage, e.g. electronics, candles, etc., so I guess it's just a judgment call. I've never seen an unoccupied house get to 100 but I've seen many reach 95ish in the summer.

Some people also shut off their water when they go away -- this precludes the possibility of a costly leak, and I have done this myself as well as thankfully my pool/irrigation are gated separately from the water into the house itself.

[AZ Tracy]

Click HERE to see what Salt River Project suggests.

[DougStark]

I'd turn it off completely too. If the plants die, no big deal.

[asufan]

I have a dog and someone that comes to feed him, let him out etc so I just up it to 82 when I leave town. That's up from the normal 77-78.

[Zippyman]

Careful shutting the water off, your water heater can run low on water & cook itself..