Some homeowners find it almost unbelievable that saving energy on vacation is possible. They realize that not running their home’s HVAC system and lights will lower their costs while they’re gone, but that’s only the beginning. Follow these tips and you’ll come home to low energy bills:

  • Switch your water heater mode — Water heaters typically have a vacation mode or other setting to lower its energy usage while you’re away from home. Or, if you’re so inclined, drain the water and disconnect the unit.
  • Plug your electronics into a surge protector — Many types of electronics use energy even when you’ve turned them off. The easiest way to fight this waste of energy is to plug all of your devices into a surge protector or power strip and turn off the unit before you leave.
  • Turn up the thermostat — To keep your costs low and prevent heat damage to equipment, death to plants, etc., turn your thermostat up to 85 degrees. That way, it will only switch on when absolutely necessary.
  • Install a new thermostat, if needed — If you don’t already have a programmable thermostat, pick one up so that you can program it to turn down the temperature just before you get home. For the best control, install a Wi-Fi unit, which you can control remotely via the Internet or a smart phone application.
  • Set your lights on timers — You don’t want to leave all of your lights on, because you’ll waste energy. But you also don’t want your home to be dark all the time or nefarious persons may use your absence to their advantage. The solution is to set a certain number of lights on timers.
  • Replace traditional light bulbs — In conjunction with the above tip, replace your traditional light bulbs with more energy-efficient types such as CFLs. It’s an inexpensive way to save energy and money.

For more tips on saving energy on vacation, or if you have any additional questions about home comfort issues, please contact the friendly professionals at Comfort Systems. We’ve been serving the HVAC needs of Wichita and the surrounding areas since 1996.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wichita, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about saving energy and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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