Planning A Late Summer Getaway? Get Your Home Ready Before You Go

Planning A Late Summer Getaway? Get Your Home Ready Before You Go

Vacation time is a much-anticipated event. We all tend to look forward to the day of departure and are even more anxious as we begin packing and preparing for the trip. It’s important to prepare your home as well. A planned getaway must include taking care of your unoccupied home. Home security will ensure you come back to an undisturbed home. Preparing your indoor appliances and HVAC system can ensure you save money while on your getaway.

Here’s a few tips to keep the home safe and keep expenses down.

• To keep thieves confused, use appliance timers. Attach them to lamps and have them come on for set periods at night.
• After two days away, have a friend or service mow the lawn. A freshly-cut lawn indicates an occupied home.
• Have a person gather the mail and cancel newspapers or magazines for the period of your getaway. Several newspapers in the lawn are a thief’s invitation.
• If you have a programmable thermostat, set it for hold so that air conditioning only comes on occasionally. Set it to bring the home back to a comfortable temperature in time for your return. This can be a great way to conserve energy while you’re away.
• Vampire energy is power that is used when some electronics are not even on. Unplug things you think may sap energy while you’re away.
• If you have a pool, cover it and set the pump to run only about six hours per day.
• Just before leaving, make sure all plants are well-watered. This should keep them healthy until your return.

A getaway is a time to relax. If you take just a few steps to prepare the home, your time away will be more relaxing and your return will hold no surprises.

For other tips on saving energy at home while you’re there or away, contact us at Air-Tro. We’re always happy to help with information that makes your home energy-efficient. Call us when you have questions, we’re here to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about getting your home ready for a vacation and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

Air-Tro Inc. services the greater Los Angeles area as well as the metro areas of Riverside and San Bernardino County.