Are you still wondering what are the practical energy-saving actions to adopt before leaving on holiday? Obviously, with the unpredictable fluctuations of energy prices on the market, energy-saving steps have started to be a part of the public daily reflex.
But when your holiday is approaching, you often tend to plan perfectly your stay: accommodation, restaurants, sightseeing… But sometimes you neglect what you leave behind when going to an exotic destination: your home.
Indeed, It hurts in the wallet if you don’t take concrete actions to avoid lost energy while you’re absent. For this purpose, we have categorized tips to help you reduce your energy expenses when leaving your property for a period of time.
Are you planning to go on a holiday soon? Don’t waste then energy while you’re away! Whether you leave for one week, one month, or more… With the current energy prices and the chaotic environmental status, make sure your home is not consuming any energy during this time. How should you adjust your appliances before you go? What simple actions can help you avoid an unnecessarily high electricity bill during your absence? Follow the guide to save energy.
Turn your heating off
Most of people take their holiday in the summer! But what about those who intend to enjoy their precious yearly holiday in the winter?
It’s the heating and hot tap water are major factors of household energy consumption. They weigh as a result the most in your monthly bill. But even if you’re traveling in the warmer summer months then it’s worth not forgetting to switch your boiler off entirely.
If you leave in the winter or spring, then decrease its power to save energy by lowering its thermostats. We don’t recommend turning it off completely if you want to avoid condensation problems in your house. Condensation has a harmful impact of the human being health and further on the whole house structure.
Disconnect your electrical appliances
You sometimes remember turning off the TV or your computer’s multi-plugs. But what about kitchen appliances? Microwaves, ovens, blenders, kettles, and coffee machines can still consume energy when they are connected even if not used effectively. The same principle is applied to phone chargers, laptop chargers, razor batteries, hair dryers, etc.
So if you want to avoid all these energy leaks, you need to unplug all the appliances after each use. You just need to take the habit of switching off the current after each use of a certain appliance. By doing so, you will reduce sensibly your electricity consumption.
Switch off lights
That’s a basic rule: If you leave for a holiday, check and switch off all the lights in your house.
Prepare for your return
If you have a smart thermostat, you can control your heating and hot water whilst you’re away. You’re also able to adjust it to the best time that suits you when you get back home and you want to feel your home warm
Turn off the gas and water supply
Check and Shut off the gas and water supply. It’s not only an energy-saving action, but is also a safety step.
Close your shutters and/or curtains
This is also one of the best and most practical energy-saving actions before you leave on holiday, but forgotten by many people. Whether you leave on holiday in the winter or summer, closing your shutters and/or curtains has only benefits for your energy-saving strategy.
In the summer, it blocks the heat coming from sun rays and therefore it minimizes the overheating of your indoor air, and maintaining your the inside of your house cool. In the cold season, it helps also to minimize home heat loss.
Reduce the power of your fridge.
When leaving for a holiday, you generally always try to empty your fridge to reduce the amount of food that will end up in the trash because you won’t have time to eat it before leaving. Therefore, when you leave your house for a while, make sure you reduce the power of your fridge and if it is possible clear it out completely and switch it off. Leave it open to avoid the build-up of mold.
Another good reflex before you go: check the rear of your fridge/freezer if it’s free of dust and that there is no build-up of ice in your freezer.
Download a free energy-saving app
You can find also some interesting energy-saving app for your smartphone to monitor your energy consumption, and get ideas and suggestions to save more energy and money. We recommend you “Loop” app. It’s a complete and simple app that can be linked to your smart meter. It checks the collected data, analyse it, and suggests easy ways to use less energy, save money, and reduce your carbon footprint. The app is available for both Android and IOS smartphone operating systems.
Conclusion
With those simple and practical energy actions, before you leave on holiday, you can make a significant saving on your energy conception, and therefore your energy bills. They can be also easily implemented as a regular habit to adopt before you leave your home for whether short or long period.
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