Six Ways to Save Electricity (and Money!) While on Vacation

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This is a sponsored post written on behalf of PPL Electric Utilities.

All opinions expressed in this post and blog are my own.

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Ahhh, vacation. For most people, it means five or six days (or longer, if you’re lucky) of much-needed rest and relaxation. That’s how it was for us when we hit the road for a long-awaited trip to New England last month.

The trip was timed perfectly with my next Project Envolve task, which focuses on energy-saving preparations when you go on vacation. Project Envolve, as you might remember, is an ongoing series about energy efficiency that’s sponsored by PPL Electric Utilities.

For most of you, saving electricity on vacation is probably the last thing on your mind when you’re preparing for a trip, and I don’t blame you for putting it on the back burner. After all, vacation planning can be pretty hectic.

The good news is, saving electricity while you’re away from home is actually pretty simple. Unless you’re like my energy-hogging husband (remember him?), and you think all you need to do is turn off the lights and lock the door before hitting the open road.

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Turning off the lights helps, of course, but there’s actually several more things you can do to save electricity (and money) on vacation:

  1. USE AUTOMATED TIMERS – Security should also be a top priority, which means leaving a few lights on while you’re on vacation. Instead of leaving those lights on 24/7 buy some automated timers for a few lights in your house. They super cheap (around $10, like the one above) and super easy to use.
  1. ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT – If you don’t have pets or plants, turn the AC off entirely. It might be 82 degrees in your house when you get back, but that’s okay.
  1. TURN OFF THE FANS – This is a no-brainer. When there’s no one home, the fans don’t need to be on.
  1. CLOSE THE CURTAINS – This will help block out the sun, which will keep things a little cooler in your house (especially if you’re keeping the AC on and the thermostat set to 85 degrees.
  1. UNPLUG – Even when they’re off, most electronics still draw tiny amounts of electricity. Computers, TVs, gaming systems, microwaves, coffee makers — unplug all of them.
  1. ADJUST THE WATER HEATER – Your water heater uses a LOT of electricity, so set it to “vacation” or “pilot” mode when you’re away.

If you use that checklist, you’ll be well on your way to saving electricity during your next family trip. Check out PPL Electric Utilities Pinterest boards for more money and energy-saving tips!


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Comments

  1. These are really great tips! I just recently learned about unplugging everything when its not in use and we use the timers on vacation….but I never thought about adjusting the water heater! That is a really good tip!

  2. Had to laugh about your comment about your hubby. Because I have no idea what that is like. Thanks for sharing these great tips!

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