Should You Turn off Your Electricity When You Vacation to Save on Utilities?

It sounds like a great idea — turn off your electricity when you go on vacation and you’ll slash your electric bills. While this works in everyday life, there are some considerations that make shutting everything down less than wholesome for homeowners. Learning more about your options allows you to conserve energy without running into problems when you get home. Here’s what you need to know about conserving power when you travel.

What to Turn Off — and What to Leave on When You Travel:

• HVAC System: One of the top consumers of energy in your home, reducing HVAC use while you are away will save you money. According to Duke Energy, any savings you get from turning your HVAC off could be reversed when you get home and have to power your entire system back up again. Instead of turning this off, set your system to vacation mode (most programmable thermostats have one) or to a temperature that makes your HVAC work less.

• Hot Water Heater: Turn the temperature down or turn the unit off at the fusebox, then turn back on or up when you get home. This could save you more money while you’re away, since you won’t have to use the hot water when your home is vacant.
  

• Fridge and Freezer: If you have any food stored, keep these on. If there are components that contain non-perishables, however, make them a little warmer while you’re on vacation to save.
  

• Water: Turning the water off can help conserve power and prevent flooding. 
  

• Electronics: Unplug electronics like the TV, kitchen helpers and more to cut your costs while you are away. 
  

• Lights: Unplug most lamps, but leave a few on timers to boost your home security as you save. 

Learning which components of your home are essential for security and comfort allows you to cut your costs while you and your household are away. Once you return home from your vacation, you can get things going again with little downtime.