Which Appliances to Unplug While You’re on Vacation
Which Appliances to Unplug While You’re on Vacation
You’ve been planning your vacation for months, eagerly counting down the days on the calendar, going over packing lists, finalizing the flight or driving route details. Finally your departure is days away and you think you have everything packed, all eventualities planned for and a fun itinerary set.
However, you may have forgotten one very important detail in your plans and lists: conserving energy and ensuring the safety of your home while you’re away. While this may sound like a daunting task, it simply means unplugging items in your house before you leave.
Plugged In Electronics Drain Power
The amount of energy wasted can be staggering, depending on the appliance or device in question. A large percentage of major electronics are constantly drawing electricity, even when they are turned off. You don’t want to come home to a large electric bill when you weren’t even there because “a few little things” were plugged in while you were away.
Devices such as refrigerators, chargers, VCRs, cable boxes, computers, DVRs and even coffee makers are always drawing power when they’re plugged in. For extended vacations, you should consider emptying out and unplugging your refrigerator so the compressor within it isn’t constantly running (which saves you money if it runs the whole time, and a whole lot of headache if it breaks while you’re gone). Unplug as many devices as you can before you leave. Having to fix the time on the digital clocks when you come home is worth it if you’ll save the cash.
Dangerous Items to Leave Plugged In
Even though it’s turned off, an item like a space heater should not remain plugged in when you leave for vacation. A family pet could knock it over and it could be turned on accidentally. If that heater is without a safety feature to turn it off, your whole house could be destroyed. Another dangerous appliance to leave plugged in is a window air conditioner. Certain air conditioners will reset themselves if the power goes out and they could start running. If the air conditioner has a cover on it then that will block the vents and the unit could overheat causing a fire. Should your vacation fall during the winter make sure your furnace is kept at the lowest possible setting. You don’t want your pipes freezing or your animals harmed, but you also need to eliminate further risk for fire while you are away.
Safely Keeping the Illusion Your House is Occupied
Ideally, you don’t want to make it too obvious that you’re leaving your house for an extended period of time. Encouraging thieves and intruders by having a totally dark house is the last thing on your mind as you escape to your fun destination. Leaving a light on or two to make it appear as if you’re home can be done safely and intelligently.
When leaving a lamp on, make sure it’s on a timer. A timer will ensure that the lamp isn’t draining power being on all the time and also keep the bulb from getting dangerously hot. The bulb in the lamp should be an energy efficient fluorescent and as low an output as possible to prevent a fire hazard. The lamp should be sturdy and on a level surface so it can’t be tipped over.
By unplugging as much as possible in your home before you leave for vacation you will be giving yourself peace of mind and doing a good deed for the environment. Being energy efficient and safe should be a constant undertaking, not just something you do when you’re going to be away. An added bonus is that the money you save on your electric bills can be used for future getaways in a world you’re helping to preserve.
Photo credit: Packed and ready to go by Karl Baron/flickr
Nancy Porter is an interior decorator and blogs on behalf of RefrigeratorHeadquarters.com a site where you can find all sorts of helpful reviews on various brands and models of refrigerators!
About the Author:
Danny is the owner and manager of Holidays Around Ireland. An Irish tourism portal for tourists and service providers alike. Passionate about Online Marketing. Provider of managed Social Media Services and Web Site Marketing strategies and advice to Tourism Industry businesses.
Danny – who has written 135 posts on Holidays Around Ireland.
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