Prep Your Home for Energy Savings While on Vacation
Are you planning a vacation this summer? There are many benefits to escaping to your favorite vacation spot to relax and unwind, including using less energy at home. Here are 7 steps you can take to reduce your household's energy consumption while you're away:
Set it and Forget it.
If you have a programmable thermostat, use the "vacation" mode. If you have a manual unit, adjusting your thermostat to just a few degrees warmer will help make a significant impact to reducing energy usage while you are not at home. Consider turning the system off entirely if the forecast is for mild temperatures.
Unplug appliances or turn off smart power strips.
Any electronic product with a power light should be turned off and unplugged. This includes big appliances, like your TV, and smaller ones like cable boxes, computers, printers, toasters, and coffee makers. If you need to leave some electronics plugged in, consider plugging them into a smart power strip and turn off the strip to prevent phantom energy draw.
Turn down the water heater.
Lowering your water heater temperature while away is an easy way to save money and conserve energy. While many homes will have their water heater set to 140°F (60°C), your home only needs to be set at 120°F (48°C), costing your family anywhere from $36 to $61 annually, according to energy.gov. Turn it down even lower while you're on vacation to increase savings!
Keep the fridge full.
Most of us empty our refrigerators before leaving town, but did you know a stocked refrigerator retains its cold temperature better than an empty one? To keep the food in your fridge and freezer fresh:
Keep it full and tightly packed.
Use ice cubes or water containers to help fill up empty space.
If you want to save even more energy, raise the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer to 38°F (3°C) and 5°F (-15°C), respectively. If you're going away for four weeks or more, you might want to unplug and empty your refrigerator.
Draw curtains and lower blinds.
To block the sun and reduce radiant heat while away, close drapes and curtains and lower blinds to reduce radiant heat and keep your home cooler.
Install light timers.
Use light timers, both indoors and out, to keep the lights on for a few hours every night. This will save energy and increase security by appearing as if someone is at home, even if they are not.
Adjust your pool filter settings to run less often.
While you don't want to come home to a dirty pool, shortening the pool filter schedule to run fewer hours a day, from 8-12 hours down to 6, will still help keep it clean and ensure that you're not unnecessarily consuming energy.
