Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly Asks: Leaving on Vacation? Here’s How to Optimize Your Home’s Utilities

One thing to do before you leave home on vacation is to prepare it for the time you’re away. One of the preparations that might not be obvious is to manage your utilities; you can save money on basic utilities while you’re gone by utilizing these tips. There is no reason not to take advantage of every dollar you can save if it doesn’t take much effort on your part.

Turn up (or down) the temperature

Air conditioning makes up a large part of the average electric bill. Every degree that you decrease the temperature costs 2% more on your bill. If it gets hot and humid enough where you live that you can’t turn the a/c off completely, set it at a warmer temperature at around 85 degrees. If you’re in a cold climate, don’t turn off your thermostat completely because it might cause your pipes to burst. Do set it at a lower temperature of around 55 degrees to reduce heating costs. It wouldn’t hurt to get an inspection of your heating and air conditioning system done by a reputable company such as HELP Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electric to reduce your chances of coming home to a disaster or unexpected repair expense.

Unplug everything
Unplug everything that isn’t going to be used while you’re on vacation including all your electronics, lamps, chargers coffee pots, microwaves and anything else that can draw standby power. Even when certain electronics and appliances aren’t in use, they can still draw small amounts of electricity that add up over time.

Water heater
Turn down your water heater temperature since you won’t be using it while you’re gone. Newer heaters have a vacation mode that adjusts to an appropriate temperature for the duration of your vacation. You can save from 15 to 25% on your bill by lowering the temperature. When you get back, consider not turning it all the way back up to where it was and you’ll continue to save money on your utilities.

Put lights on timers
You don’t want people to know that you aren’t home so it’s tempting to leave lights on. Set a couple different lights in various rooms on timers to turn on during different times of the day to make the house look like it is occupied. Use CFL bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs to save even more money.

Optimize your home’s utilities by following these simple but useful tips. Your wallet and bank account will thank you for it.