If you are planning to take a week or two off this summer and visit that exotic locale you’ve been talking about for years, there are a few things you can do at home to save money while on vacation. These tips will result in limited energy bills for the time you are away.

• Set the thermostat to 85 degrees when vacationing in the summer. If you vacation during the winter, consider setting it at 50 degrees to prevent freezing.
• If you have someone coming by from time to time while you are away; consider installing a wifi thermostat which allows you to monitor your system any time from anywhere with a simple app on your cell phone.  Make sure the kids did not turn the air down and leave it down when they left until they pick the mail up in a few days.
• Close your shades to slow heat gain during the daytime. If you are keeping your thermostat at 85, this will limit the use of the air conditioner.
• Next, visit your water heater. If you have a gas heater, put it in pilot mode. This will stop the water heater from firing but will keep the pilot light running so you don’t have to relight it when you get back. Turn off your electric water heater at the circuit breaker.
• Also, unplug your washer and dryer. They don’t usually draw power when they are off, but if there is a short in the system they could catch fire and that’s not something you want to deal with when you get home.
• Another way to save money while on vacation is to unplug your televisions, game consoles, DVD players, microwave and anything else plugged into the wall. These machines pull phantom loads when they are not in use. There is no need for them to be in standby mode when you aren’t going to be there.

For more ways you can save money while on vacation and ways to keep your home comfortable, contact Powers Heating & Air. We’ve been proudly serving Fayette and Coweta counties since 1979.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

Image courtesy of Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net