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It’s easy to forget about conserving electricity when you and your family pack up the car to head off on vacation or a lengthy trip. But if you don’t think about it before you leave, you could face an unpleasant-even irritating-surprise when you return.
While it seems to make no sense, your energy bill can be the same or even higher when you home is unoccupied. Some equipment, motors and electrical devices use power, whether or not anyone is home. Let your meter know you are gone y preparing your home before you leave. Then you can enjoy your vacation knowing you are not wasting energy-or your money.
01. Air conditioning and heating are the top users of electricity. Before you pull out of the driveway, you turn the thermostat to its lowest possible setting, thinking you have effectively turned off the system. In reality, you have only turned it to its lowest setting-generally 55 degrees. That means it will come on each time the temperature inside the house drops below 55 degrees. In the fall, winter and even spring, that could be every day. The same principle applies to your air conditioning system. To really disable your heating and cooling systems, shut them off at the breaker panel. Before you do that, though, make sure the house won’t get so cold that your plumbing is at risk. If you fail to shut off the breaker, your heating costs could actually rise when you are not home. That is because clothes drying, cooking, bathing and human activity give off heat that contributes to a home’s temperature. Without the human presence, the heating system must work harder.
02. The second-biggest user of electricity is your water heater. Because it is out of sight, it is easy to forget. If you will be gone for more than two days, turn the heater off at the breaker. Left on, the water heater will work to keep all 50 or more gallons of water in the tank heated to 120 to 140 degrees, 24 hours a day.
03. Refrigerators and freezers draw electricity to keep your food cold and frozen in your absence. If you will be gone for a prolonged time, empty them out, shut them off at the breaker and prop open the doors to prevent mildew from growing inside.
04. Anything that uses, clocks, memory remote control, microprocessors and instant on features such as televisions and video tape recorders, consume small amounts of electricity even when turned off. Unplug those items before you leave.
05. Rather than leave lights on all day, use a timer.