News

6/30/2010

Electric Use Doesn't Stop While You Are On Vacation This Summer

Even though you are on vacation or away from home for an extended period of time certain appliances continue operating and using kilowatt-hours unless they are turned off.

Refrigerators, freezers, and water heaters are the large power users that continue to use electricity whether you’re home or not. Computers, automatic lighting, air conditioning and dehumidifiers will also use electricity when you are away.

Often, before leaving on vacation, there is a lot of laundry to be done in order for the family to have the clothes they will need. Then, upon returning home, there’s washing, drying and ironing to be done again.

During the summer months when most of us are away on vacation we often assume that our power bill will automatically be lower without taking things like this into consideration.

Here are some energy-saving tips to follow before leaving on vacation to help you conserve on your power bill:

• Set the air conditioner temperature to 75-80 degrees before leaving.
• Check the temperature settings of your water heater and if you're going to be gone for a lengthy period of time you may want to adjust it to a lower temperture or turn it off.
• Make sure all windows and doors are closed tightly so that cool air is not escaping. Closing blinds and shades will keep sunlight out and helps to keep the house cooler.

So, when your electric bill isn't as low as you would have imagined because you've been away for a week or two, remember, many of the appliances in your home didn't take a vacation.

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