If you’re headed out of town for summer vacation, you’ve likely already starting making your plans and finding somebody to pick up your mail and check on your home. However, there’s more to keeping your home safe and reducing energy consumption while you’re gone than meets the eye. Use these tips to help you save money while you’re away from your Cleveland area home this summer.
- Use a programmable thermostat to set the temperature in your home to around 85 degrees while you’re gone.
This will save energy during the course of your vacation, but won’t be so hot that indoor fixtures or belongings could be damaged by excessive heat and increased humidity. Turning the air conditioner off completely while you’re gone only makes sense if you’re confident outside temperatures won’t get extreme while you’re gone. Set your programmable thermostat so the A/C returns your home to a comfortable temperature before your return. - Purchase a soaker hose and use it to keep your outside flowers and plants alive and healthy while you’re away. Set the soaker hose on a timer for just a few minutes each day when it’s cool for the best results.
- Unplug electronics that aren’t going to be used. Many modern electronics and chargers still pull electricity when they aren’t in use, and that costs you money. These “vampire appliances” can cost you anywhere from a few cents to a dollar or more per day. It’s especially important to unplug large appliances such as an emptied secondary refrigerator if you’re going to be out of town for more than a few days.
- Put your lights on a timer or have somebody come and turn them on and off. Lights on a timer will help ward off burglars since it will seem like you’re home.
- Turn off your water at the central valve, to prevent damaging water leaks while you’re gone. An overflowing toilet, for example, can waste thousands of gallons of water and cause catastrophic damage to your home.
Please contact us at Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing for more information on how to save money while you’re on vacation this summer. We have been serving Cleveland, Elyria, Lorain, Medina, Oberlin and the surrounding areas since we opened our business in 1944.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about programmable thermostats and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
For those Do it Yourselfers who would rather take control of your own indoor comfort, you can shop our online store for replacement parts, products and accessories!
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