Spring break is coming soon, and many families are looking forward to taking a break from the cold weather by traveling somewhere nice and warm. You may be leaving home, but that doesn’t mean your house won’t be consuming electricity while you’re gone. Save money while you’re away on spring break with these tips to reduce electricity use in an empty home.
Eliminate Vampire Electricity Use
Energy vampires can be increasing your electricity every day, but while you’re on vacation is a great time to stop them in their tracks. When you’re leaving home for long periods of time, unplug unneeded electrical devices and appliances to reduce your home’s electricity use while you’re away. Make unplugging a part of your “last check” routine; when checking locks and windows, making sure the oven is off, or whatever goes into your routine before you leave, add checking and unplugging to the list. It’s easy to do when you’re walking around the house checking other things, and will help you cut unnecessary electricity use while away on your trip.
Reduce Electricity Use With Timers
Many homeowners feel leaving a light on while away gives the appearance that someone is actually home, keeping criminals away. While leaving lights on is a good safety step, leaving them on for the entire duration of your trip causes wasted electricity use, and can be a red flag for crime rather than a help. Reduce electricity use and help keep criminals away by setting indoor and outdoor lights on timers.
You’ve probably seen Home Alone, where the burglars are tipped off to out-of-towners when all the exterior lights turn on at the same time every day. You can avoid this giveaway by setting your exterior lights on a variable schedule, adjusting the on and off times a bit differently each day. If you’re leaving lights on indoors, keep lighting unpredictable; you can set timers for different rooms which gives the appearance of movement throughout the home, even schedule the TV to come on during the evenings. Using timers inside and outdoors cuts back on wasted electricity use by significantly reducing the amount of time your lights are on while you’re away, while keeping potential criminals guessing if you’re home or not.
Reduce Heating Electricity Use
Turn down your thermostats several degrees to reduce electricity use for electric space heating and water heaters while you are on vacation. Don’t turn them off; you want your home to still be heated to avoid freezing pipes, but you don’t need to maintain the same temperature levels when no one is home. Turn your water heater down to its lowest temperature setting, and set your home’s thermostat around 55 degrees.
Don’t worry about your electricity use or the safety of your home while you’re on vacation. Following these steps can help you conserve and save while you’re away. If you’re concerned about protecting your home when gone, contact Frye Electric for installation of lighting timers for your interior and exterior lights.