Save on Home Energy Bills When You’re on Vacation

If you’re planning to spend a few weeks in the Cape or Nantucket this summer, you have probably budgeted for your rental – or for the utility costs in your offseason home. But have you considered how much it will cost you to keep things running in the home you’re leaving behind?

Those costs can work out to more than you think! But if you follow these simple tips, you can save money on the energy bills in your Massachusetts home– maybe enough to splurge on those lobster rolls you’ve been eyeing:

1. Kill (most of) the lights – Take a quick run through your house and shut all the lights – just put a few on a timer to make your home look lived-in while you’re away. Consider installing motion sensors for your your outdoor lighting, too.
2. Manage your A/C – Why pay to cool the air if no one is around to enjoy it? Turn your thermostat up to 85 degrees before you hit the road, and set your fan for “auto” rather than “on” to prevent it from running 24/7. Just don’t turn your A/C completely off: it could cause a moisture problem.
3. Don’t over-purge the fridge – A full refrigerator is more energy efficient than a half-empty one; dump the perishables, but leave the rest behind.
4. Unplug your vampires – Electronic equipment that has a light draws power when it’s plugged in – even if the unit is turned off (that’s why they call these electronics “energy vampires”). Unplug your TV, media players, cable boxes, computers, ovens, microwaves, and other appliances and you could cut your bill by 15 percent or more.
5. Block the sun with window treatments – Closing window treatments will prevent the sun from overheating your space (which your air conditioner will overwork to cool); it will also prevent prying eyes from seeing into your home.
6. Shut down your electric water heater – If you’re not using hot water, why pay to heat it? Kill the power to your electric water heater at the source – the circuit breaker. Of course, if you had a propane tankless water heater, you wouldn’t have to deal with this problem, since it doesn’t store any water (one of the many reasons to consider this energy-saving upgrade).
7. If you are an automatic propane delivery customer, call us – If you receive automatic propane deliveries, let us know if you’re heading out of town for an extended period. Your propane delivery date is based on an estimate of your past bills; if you aren’t around, that estimate will be off, and you’ll pay for an unnecessary visit. If you want to avoid the complications of propane delivery estimates altogether, install a propane tank monitor – that way you and the Pioneer team will know exactly when you need a propane delivery.

Want more ways to save energy this summer and beyond? Ask the energy experts at Pioneer Oil and Propane! To learn about high efficiency heating solutions for your Central Massachusetts home, contact us today.