Whether you are taking a vacation, traveling for business, or visiting family out of town, most people make sure they have someone in place to check on pets, bring in the mail, and water their plants. What many forget to plan for, however, is cutting their energy usage while away from the home.
When you create an energy saving plan while away from your home for a few days or a few weeks, you can then reallocate those saved dollars to a savings account, an upgrade while traveling, or a future purchase you need to make. Trust us, those savings can add up by following these energy saving tips.
- Close it up – make sure all your windows and doors are closed before you head out. Not only is this good safety advice, but it also keep the weather out regardless of the time of year – rain, snow, heat, humidity, etc. You should also close any blinds or curtains as well.
- Don’t empty the fridge – sure, clean out anything that might go bad, but don’t empty your fridge before you leave. Refrigerators that are more energy efficient when they are full vs. empty because the items inside help keep the fridge cool.
- Unplug any non-essentials – even if an electronic is not on, it can still draw a current thus increasing your energy bill. Unplug anything that’s not vital like your TV, gaming system, computer, microwave, etc. to reduce your energy bill while away.
- Set a timer – most people don’t want their house to be dark while they are gone, essentially letting people know no one is home. Instead of leaving lights on the whole time you are away, get a timer for lights in the most visible locations to give an illusion that someone is home.
- Adjust your thermostat – With no one home to take advantage of the ideal temperature, adjust your thermostat accordingly. In the Summer, turn your AC up just enough to keep the house from being really humid, and in the Winter, turn it down about 10-15 degrees below normal – make sure your pipes won’t freeze.
- Shut down your hot water heater – if you have an electric hot water heater, turn the breaker off to save some energy. With no one home to use the hot water, why pay to keep hot water in the tank?
- Take care of any issues before you leave. Hot water heater making a weird noise, HVAC not working as well as it should be. Take care of any home issues before leaving town because you never know what you might come home to, and with no one in the house to monitor the issues, you could walk in the door to a disaster.
If you need an emergency fill up or service call before heading out of town, give us a call. We always take care of our neighbors – safe travels!
