How to take a holiday and save energy at home
Holidays are so much fun – but it’s easy to spend more money than usual when you take a trip somewhere. With meals out, tours, special tourist attractions to visit and more, the costs all add up.
While we can’t help out with discounted tours or free snacks for the ride, we can help you to save energy back at your house while you’re not there. Here are some easy things to try when you’re heading away.
(Please note, for these tips we’re assuming your house is empty with no pets and no house-sitter. Most house-sitters would like to be able to watch TV…)
Turn things off
Your TV doesn’t need to be on standby when you’re not at home (that goes for you too, Netflix).
Before you leave, take a quick tour of your house and switch off everything that doesn’t need to be on while you’re away. Your lamps, night-lights, coffee machine, electric toothbrush, kettle, clock radio – these all use energy just sitting there. Switch them off before you go and your house will be using less energy overall.
Clean out fridges
If you’re going away for weeks and all that you’re leaving in your fridge is a jar of mayo that expires soon anyway, you might want to consider switching your fridge off while you’re away to save energy. If you have a beer fridge or outdoor fridge, you could do the same. Just set a reminder or write yourself a note somewhere to remind you to switch them back on as soon as you get home.
Remember your hot water system
Your hot water system could really work hard to keep some hot water ready for your homecoming – or it could be switched off and save all that energy while you’re away. Again, just remember to set a reminder or leave a note to turn it back on as soon as you get home!
Use timers for the lights
Instead of leaving a light on somewhere to make it look like someone is home, try setting up a timer for a light somewhere that could come on and switch off for a period at a certain time of day.
Give your wifi a break
Your modem works hard for you every day. Doesn’t it deserve a break too? If you don’t rely on a constant internet connection for things like your home security or landline/VOIP phone (if you want to collect voicemails) then think about whether you can switch off your internet while you’re away.
Turning as much off as possible is an easy way to save energy while you’re on holidays. Once you’ve got your energy-savings sorted, all that’s left to do is enjoy your trip. Bon voyage!
Share: