Planning a vacation?
The last thing you want to come home to is a massive utility bill—especially when you weren’t
even around to use electricity, water or gas!
To avoid this from happening to you, take the time to make these small changes that will help
you save energy before you leave for vacation:
Unplug everything
Contrary to popular belief, turning off your appliances and devices is not enough to save energy.
Some of these electronics will still consume energy even when they are turned off as long as they
are still plugged into an electrical outlet.
That’s why it’s so important for you to unplug as many electronics as possible before you head
out the door.
Unplugging these devices will cut off the energy source and ensure you are not wasting electricity
while you’re away.
Reduce the pool filter’s schedule
Does your home have a pool?
No one will be using it while your family is on vacation, so there’s no need to keep the pool filter
running on its usual schedule.
But, no one wants to come home to a filthy pool, so don’t turn it off completely.
Instead, change the automatic cleaning sweep to run for only four to five hours a day.
This will be enough time to keep your pool clean but a huge reduction on the amount of energy it
takes to do so.
In fact, you could even keep this schedule going when you get back from vacation!
Adjust the thermostat
It’s easy to save energy in your home when you have a programmable thermostat, so don’t forget to
take advantage of this before you leave!
Your home does not need to stay at a comfortable temperature if you will not be in it, so adjust the
settings to give your heating and cooling system a break.
In the summer, change your furnace to a low enough temperature that it will not click on while you
are gone, and crank up your air conditioning’s setting so it won’t, either.
This is a simple switch that just takes a few seconds, but will make a major impact on your next utility bill.
Close the curtains
No one will be home to enjoy the beautiful views, so why leave the curtains open?
Close all of your curtains and lower your blinds before you go to prevent heat from making its way into
your home.
The more heat you let in the house, the more energy your air conditioner will take to cool it down once
you get back.
Turn off the water heater
Hot water can account for about 14-25% of the energy your home consumes.
A large portion of this is standby losses, meaning energy that is lost when the hot water heater is
not even in use.
If you leave it on while you’re traveling, these standby losses will still occur even though no one is
home to use hot water.
Before you go, switch off your electric heater at the breaker.
If you have a gas heater, adjust it to the pilot setting.
“The last thing you want to come home
from vacation to is a massive utility bill—
especially when you weren’t even around
to use electricity, water or gas!”
With these tips, you can spend a little bit more on your vacation knowing just how much you are saving
on energy while you’re away!
Uma Campbell is a green loving yoga instructor and freelance writer. She currently lives in Southern California where she enjoys writing about natural living, health, and home design.@Umajcampbell www.umajcampbell.wordpress.com
What are your favorite tips for saving energy at home while you are traveling?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
What great advice I wouldn’t have thought of half of these things – thank you for sharing Deborah
These are great tips for the summer. Be sure to take appropriate precautions for the winter, as you would not want to have burst pipes due to freezing. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Laurie,
I’m so glad you enjoyed this information. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I appreciate it