Keep your home safe and your energy costs down!
The coming weeks are prime travel time as folks look for a break after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
Whether you’re a snowbird heading to your winter home in Florida, a family looking for quality time on Vermont’s ski slopes before school starts up, or a couple taking a Caribbean cruise, there are some things to do around your home before you leave. Here are a few of them.
Program your thermostat
Keep your house warm without overspending on heating costs. Set the thermostat to 55°F until you return. This helps save energy while also keeping the home warm enough to protect the pipes from freezing and bursting.
When you’re on vacation, a smart thermostat comes in handy. You can check your thermostat settings from anywhere there’s a connection, and you can program it to warm up the house before your return.
Keep NOCO in the loop
If you’re an Automatic Delivery customer and will be away for more than a few weeks, please notify us. Your absence affects your propane usage. As we take into account your propane usage history when determining our delivery schedule, notifying us helps avoid unnecessary deliveries to your home.
This next instruction is especially important here in Western New York: Hire someone to keep your driveway and path to your fuel tank clear so we can make deliveries or service calls while you’re gone.
Have a friend or relative visit your home frequently to make sure that your heating system is working and that the temperature in your home is at least 55°F. Give us their name and contact information in case we need to work with them when you’re away.
Turn down the water heater
Give your water heater a vacation, too. If you have a conventional tank storage water heater, turn your water heater to the “Vacation” or “Low” setting. That way, it won’t be running as frequently to keep heating the water in the tank when you’re not there.
Disconnect energy vampires
Energy vampires are appliances and electronics around your home that consume energy even when you are not using them, increasing your electricity bills.
Unplugging them while you’re away is good for home safety, and will lower your energy costs while you’re away.
Energy vampires are most frequently found in the kitchen and bathroom. Small kitchen appliances such as multicookers, coffee makers, stand mixers, and toasters should all be unplugged. In the bathroom, unplug electric toothbrushes and hair styling equipment.
Other items around your home to unplug include:
- washers and dryers (especially if they’re newer models with digital features)
- televisions
- gaming systems
- desktop computers
- modems and routers
- chargers for phones, laptops, and tablets
- digital alarm clocks
- printers and scanners
Looking for a fuel and HVAC service company you can trust? Look no further! NOCO has the experience and dedication to make sure your home stays warm and comfortable. Become a customer today!
