Unused 2nd floor thermostat settings

[SlugSlinger]

Anyone have some sound logic on setting an unoccupied second floor thermostat for summer months? I have a separate system upstairs that I currently have set at 80 degrees. My FIL turns his 2nd floor system off.

Since no one goes upstairs much anymore, I’d like to save some energy dollars if possible.

 

[mr ed]

Heat rises and cool stays down stairs. turn it off and hang a sheet or blanket in the stairway. That's what we do at my dad's house.

 

[SlugSlinger]

You can put a gate or whatever they're called in your ductwork and have it controlled by another thermometer. That's how ours is set up in the sunroom anyways; we don't want to cool it off as much as the rest of the house.

It’s a separate/independent system. Nothing is shared with the downstairs system.

I did use a a gate for the master bedroom to get more cold air in that room. Half the room is windows so it gets warmer than the rest of the house.

 

[TinkerTanker]

At empty rentals we don't turn it on at all. Just turn it to heat, set it at 65 degrees to keep pipes from bursting, and forget that whole upstairs is there.