EASY WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR POWER BILL WHEN YOU LEAVE ON HOLIDAY

Lights off, doors locked, bags in the car—you all know the routine for a typical summer road trip. But did you know, there are more ways to save on your power bill at home when you’re away on holiday?

Whether you’re heading off overnight, camping out on the beach for a week, or treating yourself to an island holiday, there’s nothing more special than making memories on vacation. So save yourself the stress of wondering if you turned the fan off with our fool-proof checklist below. You’re welcome.

1. Unplug Your Devices
By now, you’ll know that devices left plugged in on standby mode still love to drain your power. We call these pesky appliances power thieves. At a bare minimum, make sure energy drainers like gaming consoles, TVs, desktop computers, printers, and ovens are all turned off at the wall. Level it up and flip the switch on chargers, hairdryers, microwaves, kettles, blenders, coffee machines, air fryers, and more.

2. Sort The Splash Situation
For those with a swimming pool or spa, you’ll want to set these up to save you power in the long run. Reducing the temperature is a quick win, and means you’re not heating water for the sake of it. Turning off or lowering the use of appliances like lights, water ventilation, and pool pumps will also help. Don’t forget to give your spa a scrub too—clean spas save on costs as the filters won’t have to work as hard, plus you’ll have less residue clogging up the plumbing.

3. Smarten Up Your Lighting
It’s always sensible to leave at least one main light on in your home for safety, but with a few smart changes to your lighting, this doesn’t have to burn through the watts all day and night. If you have hard-wired timers in your lights, go ahead and schedule those to only be on at night. If not, simply swapping out standard bulbs for smart LED options with timer and remote-controlled features will give you this benefit too. All this said, before you leave the home, don’t forget to do a round-robin and make sure all your lights are off.

4. Take Note Of The Temp
Although a saviour when we’re home, left unattended, a thermostat and HVAC system can take a toll on your bill. You’ll want to at least turn your thermostat down, or even off completely. A smart thermostat will let you set your schedule, and may even offer a ‘vacation mode’ for when you’re away. While you’re at it, go ahead and close all the doors in your home to prevent heating or cooling from escaping, in the odd event your HVAC system does turn on.

5. Give Your Fridge Some TLC
There’s nothing worse than coming home to a cluttered, smelly fridge after a blissful week away. Before you head off, make time to declutter your fridge and set it up to thrive while you’re away. This is because it’s best to leave some space in your fridge and freezer to let cool air circulate. The more packed your fridge is, the harder it has to work to keep things chilled. Plus, if there are only a few items left, you can even adjust the temperature on your fridge to save more coins.

6. Put The Out Of Office On Your Water Heater
Heading off on holiday is the perfect time to give one of the biggest energy drainers, your water heater, a well-deserved break. If you’re away for a while, consult your manual and consider turning the water cylinder off completely if it’s safe to do so. Those with more modern smart controllers may even be able to turn on the ‘vacation mode’ and save on continually heating the water while no one is home.


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The information provided in this article is of a general nature and not intended to be a substitute for personalised, professional advice. Mercury recommends that you always seek appropriate advice from a qualified professional to suit your individual circumstances. Links to external, non-Mercury websites are provided as a reference only, and do not imply a partnership or endorsement of their content.