It’s that time of year when many of us are looking forward to getting away for vacation. If you’re like most people, you’ve spent the last year planning and saving money for a great vacation. The last thing you want to do is come home to high energy bills at the end of your trip.
It can be surprising to see that, even when you are not at home, your energy bills do not seem to go down. There are many simple things that you can do to keep your energy bills low while you are on vacation. You want to maintain an energy efficient house, even when you are away.
Cooling and Heating Systems. For summer trips, think about turning the thermostat to a higher temperature so that your cooling system does not run as much. If you have a programmable thermostat, set it to cool down to about 76 degrees early in the morning like 4 or 5 am. Then about 8 am set it to go up to 84 or 85. Repeat this for every day you are going to be gone. The day you come back have it only go up to about 78 so it will not take as long to cool down when you get home. Cooling your home down during the early morning hours is the most economical time to do it and this will help keep the humidity level in the home in check. For trips that you take in the winter, set the thermostat to about 50 degrees. That way you are not wasting heat but your home will be warm enough to keep pipes and plants from freezing. Thermostats that you can control from your smart phone are now available that will allow you to change the temperature from wherever you are.
Turn off Lighting and Cooling Fans. Ceiling fans can complement the use of air conditioning and help keep your house cooler using less energy. When you leave the room, and, especially when you leave on vacation, make sure to turn off the fans. In addition, consider getting efficient lighting systems. Keep lights turned off when not in the room and put lights on timers when you go on vacation.
Unplug Appliances and Electronics. Make sure you unplug big appliances before you leave on vacation. This includes your washer and dryer. Other appliances, such as televisions, kitchen stoves and entertainment systems continue to draw electricity even when turned off. Also remember to unplug your small appliances like toasters, coffee makers and chargers. If you have an electric water heater you can turn it off at the breaker to save energy while you are gone. Just remember it takes a couple of hours for the water to heat back up once you get home so turn it on with plenty of time before you want to hop in the shower or it might be kind of chilly.
For the best advice on how to keep your house energy efficient and keep your energy bills low, look to the professionals at CACC in Corpus Christi. At CACC we are Constantly Concerned About Customers.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy bills and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Foxie/Shutterstock”
Helpful Information For You And Your Home
Constantly Concerned About You!
Professional Team
Reliable Service
