5 Things to do before you leave for a holiday
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Whether you’re heading away to the beach or on an overseas trip of a lifetime, electricity usage in your home is probably the last thing on your mind. Even if you don’t realise it, the appliances in your home will likely continue to guzzle power whether you’re there to use them or not. To ensure you enjoy your holiday and don’t come home to a whopping power bill, here are five things to do around the house before you leave for a holiday.
Unplug major appliances
Even if you’re not at home, appliances like your fridge, TV, hot water system, microwave, wifi router and really anything with a stand by light will continue to use electricity when they are plugged in and turned on. Your fridge alone can account for around 30% of your total power usage, whether you’re home or not. If you plan on being away for an extended period of time, it’s worth turning off all but the most essential appliances to keep your power bill in check.
Use timers on lights
If you are concerned about the security of your home and want to leave lights on while you’re away, consider using automatic timers to limit your power consumption. As well as deterring unwanted guests, timers will help you save on unnecessary power usage.
Turn off your power at the source
If you are serious about saving power, you can skip the middleman and turn off your power at the fuse box. If you have certain appliances that you need to keep on, try to switch off power to certain zones of your home to save on usage where you can.
Double-check your appliances
If you plan on turning off power to appliances like your fridge while you’re away, it’s worth double-checking that it is clean and empty before you head off on holiday. While those frozen prawns you have tucked away at the back of the freezer would go great in a Penang curry, they will make your house stink to high heaven if you forget about them when you turn the power off.
Monitor energy usage in your home
If you want to be sure energy use in your home is as low as possible, consider tracking it with an app. The EMS app from emerald is quick and easy to set up, linking directly to your Smart Meter. Keep on top of your energy usage with weekly usage reports delivered directly to your phone.
