ENERGY BOOMER

30 Ways to Save Energy While You Are Away on Vacation

Summer is a great time for vacations. However, appliances and electronic devices in your home will waste money unless you shut them off.

By using a checklist, you can minimize energy wasted by your empty house. That will save you a few dollars for your vacation. 

 

1. Check to make sure the kitchen stove top is off
2. Check to make sure the oven is off
3. Look at each wall outlet and decide which items to unplug like the coffee maker, can opener and microwave
4. Turn all the water faucets off
5. If you have a chest freezer throw a couple of blankets or a quilt over it
6. If you are leaving for a short period, check the refrigerator thermostat setting, 38 degrees for the refrigerator, and 5 degrees for the freezer
7. For longer trips (such as four weeks or more), consider emptying your refrigerator and unplugging it.
8. In each bath room, shut all the water faucets off
9. Check to make sure the toilet is not running
10. Unplug the night-lights
11. Close the storm windows
12. Close the storm doors
13. Unplug your cell phone charger and pack it to go
14. Unplug the electric blanket from the wall outlet (We had a cat that would paw at the control until the blanket would come on)
15. I do not unplug electric clocks, but you can
16. In each room look at each wall outlet and decide which items to unplug
17. Leave the telephone adapter plugged in only if you have an answering machine that you want to work while you are gone
18. Turning off electronic devices is good to save energy, but remember digital displays, instant-on features, and remote controls use energy while not in use. Unplug most electronic devices while you are away. I do not unplug anything that requires extensive reprogramming like TV’s or cable boxes.
19. Do unplug other stuff like the stereo
20. In the laundry room make sure machines and lights are off
21. Shut off laundry tub faucets
22. If it will be above freezing, during the heating season shut the heat off.
23. If it will be below freezing, turn your thermostat down to the lowest setting plus two degrees. Some older thermostats would turn down to 55 so I’d set them at 57 to keep it off the low limit stop. Some digital thermostats will turn down to 45. Forty-five is the bare minimum for water pipe freeze protection. I suggest 47.
24. During hot weather turn your air conditioner off or set the thermostat to 85 degrees or higher.
25. If you have electric water heater with a tank, switch off the circuit breaker that sends power to your water heater.
26. If you have a natural gas water heater, I recommend that you dial down the temperature setting. First, use a permanent marker to mark where it is normally set. If you have an on demand tank-less water heater, you do not need to do anything.
27. If you have, “city” water shut the main supply valve off where it enters the house.
28. If you have your own water well, shut off the electric power to the pump. If you don’t, the pump will cycle on and off while you are gone just to keep the pressure up.
29. Turn off all lights in your home before you leave.
30. You may wish to maintain an outdoor or indoor light for nighttime security. Consider installing a lighting timer. That way the lights will only be on a few hours a day. Lights do help to make it appear as if someone is at home. The timer minimizes the energy used.

Build Your Own Checklist

This list is for our current home. It is not exactly right for your home. You need to start with this list and add to it or scratch out items to make your own list.

You save money when you use an energy shutdown checklist for your home. That way items are not forgotten during the last minute rush to get underway.

Use your checklist again when you return home. It will help you remember what needs to be turned back on.

 

Click this link for a SPECIAL REPORT: HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON AIR CONDITIONING

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Air Leaks Waste Money on Your Home Energy Bills

Cracks and air leaks can lead to energy loss and waste money on your heating and cooling bills. Air sealing is one of the best energy efficiency improvements you can make to your home.

Air sealing will not just reduce energy costs; it will also improve your home's comfort and keep its value. Keeping moist air out helps to

prevent mold, corrosion and wood rot problems.

Finding Air Leaks

Look at areas where different materials meet, such as between brick and wood siding, between the foundation and walls, and between the chimney and siding.

Here is a list of places to look for air leaks:

• Door frames
• Window frames
• Mail chutes
• Electrical service entrances
• Natural gas or propane pipes
• Cable TV and phone lines
• Outdoor water faucets
• Places where dryer vents pass through walls
• Bricks, siding, stucco, and foundation
• Air conditioners
• Vents and fans

For a thorough and accurate measurement of air leakage in your home, hire a qualified technician to conduct an energy audit. Be sure they use a blower door test. A blower door test, which depressurizes a home, can reveal the location of many leaks.

A good way of finding leaks yourself is to follow these steps:

1. Close all doors and windows
2. Shut off your furnace or air conditioner
3. Turn on your clothes dryer in the tumble dry mode so it pushes air out the vent
4. Turn on kitchen and bathroom vent fans
5. Now go around inside the house hunting for air sneaking in

You can use smoke from a cigarette or incense stick to see the airflow. Another trick is to use a candle and watch how the flame moves as you move it around windows and doors. Please be careful with fire.

If there is a big temperature difference between indoor air and outdoor air, an infrared thermometer can be used to scan for air leaks. INSERT ADVERT

In industrial situations, I have used spray foam shaving cream to find small air and vacuum leaks. But, the mess makes this a poor idea at home.

Air Sealing Techniques

Once you have located air leaks, you can then apply air-sealing materials as needed. Two common materials include caulking and weather stripping. Most experts agree that caulking and weather stripping will pay for themselves in energy savings within one year.

Caulking

Caulk forms a flexible seal for cracks, gaps, or joints less than ¼" wide. You can use a caulking compound to seal air leaks in a variety of places throughout your home, including around windows and door frames.

Most caulking compounds come in disposable cartridges. When deciding how much caulking to purchase, consider that you will probably need a half-cartridge per window or door. You may need as many as four cartridges for the foundation sill.

Before applying caulk remove any old caulking and clean the area that you are working on. For best performance, follow all manufacturers' instructions. For more information on caulking HOW TO CAULK AROUND THE HOUSE

Weather stripping

Weather stripping can be applied to seal air leaks around movable objects, such as doors and windows. To determine how much weather stripping you will need, add up the perimeter lengths of all windows and doors to be weather stripped, and then add 5% to 10% to accommodate any waste.

Weather stripping comes in varying depths and widths, and there is a variety of weather stripping materials available: foam, felt, vinyl, aluminum, and bronze. You need to choose a type of weather stripping that will withstand the friction, weather, temperature changes, and wear and tear associated with its location. IN LINK

For example, when applied to a door bottom or threshold, weather stripping could drag on carpet or erode because of foot traffic. Here is a link about door sweeps and thresholds HOW TO SAVE ENERGY WITH A DOOR SWEEP

When applying, consult the instructions on the weather stripping package. In general, weather stripping should be applied to clean, dry surfaces at temperatures above 20°F.

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