Save on Holidays                            

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What’s this – a section on Low Carbon holidays ? Well, maybe one day… For now though this page looks at what savings we can make when we leave the house empty.

Even if you’re just away for a weekend, there are a couple of steps you can take to cut consumption hard while you’re away.

POSITIVE STEPS:
 

  Heating:

While we’re at home the thermostat takes care of maintaining it to a comfortable temperature, usually 19 to 20 degrees Centigrade during the day. It simply runs the radiators whenever it gets too cold. However if there’s going to be no-one in the house, it’s a waste to keep it running so warm.

Turning the thermostat down when you leave to say 12 or 14 degrees should allow the house to keep warm enough to keep any damp at bay. Yet this simple step will cut your heating consumption by a good 50%. Certainly enough to buy a few holiday beers!

Some modern heating controllers actually have a little “holiday” button on them. This lets you select how many days you’ll be away and what tick-over temperature you’d like it to stay at.
 

Then they cleverly bring the heating back to normal just before you arrive back so you come home to a house as warm as you left it. Basically an electronic version of asking the neighbour !

  Hot water:

Will your hot water be heated up every day you’re away ? If so it’s a great opportunity for further savings.

Hot water is second only to heating in the energy it consumes, so find out how to switch it off while you’re away and save yet more. 

  Electricals:

There are some things that most likely need to be left running when you’re away like the fridge, freezer and burglar alarm if you have one. Hence pulling the main electricity incomer is not always the best idea !

However it’s well worth going round the house and making sure that ALL things that can be switched off ARE switched off. Don’t forget the outside lights and garage either.

As well as reducing the electricity drawn, with every plug you switch off you will be reducing the chances of electrical fires starting in an empty house. It might seem remote, but an accidental water leak falling onto say a TV on standby could start a fire that is discovered only too late.
 

  Measure:

If you want to know how much background energy your house uses, holidays are a great chance to find out. Take a reading before you leave and when you’re back and you will see how much electricity is consumed by say the fridges and low level heating.

It might also highlight some previously unnoticed energy consumption going on in the background.