Saving Energy While on Vacation…
Before you race out the door for your summer vacation, prepare your home with these energy and money saving steps. You can minimize energy consumption in your empty house and maybe save a few dollars for your next vacation.
Get unplugged – Your appliances and electronics deserve a vacation too- and simply turning them off doesn’t stop them from guzzling vampire energy. Unplug your TV, computer, battery chargers, and anything else that doesnt need to be left on.
Turn the dial – Turn off your air conditioner or set the thermostat to 85 degrees or higher. For every degree you raise your thermostat above 72 degrees, you’ll save 1 to 3 percent in cooling costs. To avoid coming home to an overheated house, use a programmable thermostat and set it on vacation mode to re-cool your house shortly before your expected return.
Set a timer – Leaving lights on while you’re away protects your home from burglars, yet it robs you of energy. Discourage potential prowlers by programming timers so two or three lights come on in different rooms at night and shut off during the day. Outside, protect your home with motion-sensor landscape lights.
Refrigerator- Your refrigerator is one of the biggest energy users in a typical home. If you are leaving for a short period of time, change the refrigerator thermostat to a higher setting, 38 degrees for the refrigerator, 5 degrees for the freezer. Taking an extended trip? Consider emptying your fridge and unplugging it- you’ll save about $15 if your gone for for one month. (Prop open the door to avoid coming home to a horrible stench.)
Water Heater-Unless you have a tankless water heater unit, your water heater will keep on running to keep the water warm until you get back. Turn down the setting to as low as possible to reduce this standby heat loss while you are away.
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