How to Keep a Home Running Efficiently While Away on Holiday

Want to slash energy bills while soaking up the sun on holiday?​

Your home continues to consume energy while you are away. Whether it be vampire electronics or hard-working thermostats… Your home is spending your hard-earned money while you’re lying on the beach.​

Here’s the good news:​

You can slash energy waste with just a few simple tweaks before you leave the house. You’ll come home to a lower bill (and a securely locked house).​

This guide on how to keep a home running efficiently while away on holiday walks through the exact steps to make it happen.

In this guide – How to Keep a Home Running Efficiently:

• Why Empty Homes Waste So Much Energy
• Lighting Intensity Preferences & Smart Setup
• Thermostat Tricks That Save Big
• Phantom Loads: The Silent Bill Drainers
• Water Heater Vacation Mode
• Final Checklist Before Heading Out

Why Empty Homes Waste So Much Energy

Empty houses are sneaky energy hogs.​

You know appliances, electronics, and HVAC equipment still operate even when you’re away from home. The U. S. Department of Energy states that standby power can equal 5-10% of energy use, which can add up quickly during an extended period of time away.​

Think about it…​

Every charger that’s plugged in, every microwave clock with lights blinking, every television on standby mode is quietly wasting energy. Even before you factor in lights, air conditioning, and hot water heaters blasting while no one is home.​

What makes it worse?​

Most people never look at their bill when they are on vacation. Waste continues to accumulate until an unpleasant utility bill arrives in the mail a few weeks later.​

That’s why every homeowner needs a pre-vacation energy plan.

Lighting Intensity Preferences & Smart Setup

Preferences for lighting intensity have a massive impact on how much electricity your home consumes over a holiday. Individuals typically leave two lamps on for safety… but those lamps remain glowing at full brightness all day.​

That’s a bill killer.​

Individual lighting preferences differ based on your geographical location. Residents of the U.S.’ bright states enjoy the best-lit houses and neighborhoods. Adjusting your brightness settings before departing for vacation allows you to come home to that warm welcome—and heightened sense of security—without wasting energy by keeping every light on full blast.​

Here’s how to dial it in:

​Set lamps to dimmer settings (40-60% is plenty for security)

• Use smart bulbs with scheduled on/off times.
• Swap incandescent bulbs for LED — they use up to 80% less energy.
• Skip outdoor floodlights running all night and use motion sensors instead.

You want a lighting scheme that makes your house appear “lived in” without using excess electricity. Smart lighting is ideal for this. You can control your lights from your phone app – even when you’re at the airport.​

(There’s that “keep it simple” trick paying off again.)

Thermostat Tricks That Save Big

Heating and cooling are the biggest energy hogs in any home.​

HVAC accounts for more than 51% of household energy usage. Therefore, tweaking your thermostat before vacation is one of the biggest bang-for-your-buck tips out there.​

Here’s the simple rule:​

• In winter, drop the thermostat to around 55-60°F
• In summer — bump it up to 85°F or higher.
• Use vacation mode if your thermostat has it.

Don’t turn it off entirely, though. Pipes can freeze during winter, and humidity can accumulate during summer – both will cause much larger issues than you’ll save in energy.​

Smart thermostats take energy saving a step further. Program your return date, and the system will revert to normal just before you arrive home. It’s that simple.

Phantom Loads: The Silent Bill Drainers

Now consider the sneakiest energy waster of them all…​

Phantom load.

Devices still pull power even when they’re “off.” TVs, gaming systems, coffeemakers, chargers, microwaves — they’re all leaking energy day and night.

The biggest offenders in most homes include:​

• Television sets and entertainment systems
• Gaming consoles in standby mode
• Phone and laptop chargers
• Coffee makers with digital clocks
• Microwaves and small kitchen appliances
• Cable boxes and routers

The fix is simple.​

Walk around the house before you leave and unplug anything that isn’t being used. If you have appliances close together(clumped together, like an entertainment center), plug them into a power strip and just turn one switch.​

Don’t unplug the refrigerator, though — that’s just trouble waiting to happen when you get home.

Water Heater Vacation Mode

Water heating is another hidden bill driver.

The majority of water heaters are designed to store hot water in a tank at an elevated temperature 24 hours/day… even when no one is home to use the water. During a one-week vacation, that’s a tremendous waste of energy.​

And the kicker?​

Water heating can account for almost 20% of your home energy use – so this simple swap can make a big difference.​

Two easy fixes:​

1. Switch the heater to “vacation mode” if it has one.
2. Manually turn the temperature dial down to its lowest setting.

Bonus tip: Also, turn off the water supply valve. If there’s a small leak, it can become a flood while you are away.

Final Checklist Before Heading Out

Time to put it all together.​

Before locking the door and heading to the airport, run through this checklist:​

• Adjust the thermostat to vacation setting.
• Switch the water heater to vacation mode.
• Unplug all non-essential electronics.
• Set lighting timers and dim levels
• Close blinds and curtains (helps with insulation and security)
• Turn off the main water supply.
• Empty the fridge of perishables.
• Double-check that the dishwasher and washing machine are empty and off.

This 5-minute walkthrough can save serious money — and a lot of stress.

Final Thoughts

Maintaining a home efficiently when you are away on holiday is simple. It just requires some commonsense tweaks to what is already there…​

• Lighting
• HVAC
• Water heating
• Standby electronics

Each of these adjustments reduces your energy bill by a little bit. Put them all together, and it really adds up. Energy efficiency also makes your home safer. There’s less heat build-up, less moisture, and fewer fire hazards from overloaded electronics.​

Alright, before you pack your suitcase next time, spend 10 minutes going through the energy checklist. As a quick review:​

• Dial down lighting intensity preferences.
• Set the thermostat to vacation mode.
• Kill phantom loads with a few unplugs
• Drop the water heater temperature.
• Run the final checklist.

The savings will be stuck in the bank account pending the return. Right. Next to holiday pictures.

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