More often than not, vacations leave a hole in your pocket. It’s important to be as frugal as possible in as many ways as you can. I’m guessing you probably don’t want to be stingy on vacation, since it’s your time to get away and enjoy yourself. So, you turn to the next pricey item that requires the most upkeep; your home.
Homes, apartments or any living quarters consume most of our income and demand constant attention. When you’re away on vacation, it’s important to keep your home from spending as much money as possible on utilities that you aren’t using. However, in certain situations, it’s best not to completely take your home off the grid.
Shut off water: Shut off your home’s water to reduce the chance of leaks in your home, especially your clothes washer. A sneaky leak can occur at any time, but cutting off the source will save you money and time from cleaning up an unavoidable nuisance.
- If left on, install a moisture detector that will alert you of a leak. This home security system is a great to identify leaks that aren’t visible, as well.
- Before turning it back on, make sure to open up a faucet or two to equalize the pressure. Turn the water back on slowly to reduce stress and damage to your pipes.
Unplug appliances/electronics: Not only will this save on your electricity bill, but it also reduces the chance of running into fire hazards, which can be catastrophic if you’re soaking up the sun hundreds of miles away. Smoke and heat detectors are a great addition to safely securing your home. These home security systems work wonders in detecting and alerting of potential fires.
When to seal or not seal: A cheap and easy way to save on heating is to contain the air supply inside your home.
- First, locate exits. Windows, doors and fireplaces often times don’t have the greatest quarantining power that you’d like. Ways to get around this include:
i. Caulking. You can caulk the borders of windows
ii. Door saddles. These slip onto the bottom of the door to help quarantine the air in your home.
iii. Plastics seals. These can be placed over windows and fireplaces to trap air inside. Typically, they require a blow dryer to tighten the seal.
- When not to seal. If it’s summer, you can get away with turning off your air conditioning, avoid the sealing altogether and potentially even crack a few windows to ventilate your home and avoid a hot and stuffy atmosphere upon returning from vacation.
Acquire the thermostat sweet spot: Know where to put your thermostat temperature.
- Winter. You don’t want your pipes to freeze, so it’s best to keep your heat at the lowest temperature possible. 60 is probably as low as you want to go.
- Summer. If you can, turn it off, open windows and turn on some fans.
The size, geographical region and quality of your home will determine how to adjust your home’s temperature and make it as efficient as possible. Certain things, like shutting off water and appliances are always safe to do, but the sealing will also depend if you own the home or if you’re renting it. Make sure to check with your landlord if that’s the case. Either way, don’t be a victim of a high utility bill when you come back from vacation. That should be the last of your worries.
About the author: Samuel Ott Writer for Nightwatch Security, Home security systems Sedalia MO Bachelor’s in Business Administration, emphasis in Marketing & Studied at the University of Missouri
