Holiday Home energy saving tips

- Caroline Peach

If you’re heading away to a holiday home this summer, you are probably looking forward to some sun, fun, relaxation and hopefully not a large energy bill to boot! To stay mindful of your energy usage take a look at these easy holiday home energy saving tips.

Before you leave

1.  Check with your energy company to make sure you are on the best plan for both your home and holiday home. There could be ways to make savings that you aren’t aware of.

2.  Turn non-essential appliances such as TV’s, microwave, lamps etc off at the wall as they can drain power even in standby mode.

3.  If you are away for a long period of time, it may also be worth looking into switching off your hot water.

After you arrive – 10 easy holiday home energy saving tips

1.  If you arrive at the holiday home and things haven’t been used for a little while it may be a good idea to do a quick assessment of appliances to make sure they are in safe working order. These checks will help ensure the appliances are running efficiently so you don’t run into problems later one. Checks might include:

  • Checking the hot water thermostat settings to ensure you aren’t heating your water to an unnecessarily high temperature (and hence costing more).
  • Running a short empty wash in the washing machine.
  • Changing the rinse aid in the dishwasher and running a rinse cycle.

2.  Check the thermostat on the fridge and freezer – if your fridge is set too cold this can waste energy, while too hot may spoil food prematurely. The CSIRO states that the best energy saving temperature for your fridge is between 3 and 5 degrees Celsius and between minus 15 and 18 degrees Celsius for your freezer.

3.  Before turning on the you turn on your air conditioning for the first time, it’s a good idea to clean the air filters. Clean filters will ensure the unit is running efficiently and will use less electricity.

4.  Check out the light globes – if they are quite old chances are they are not very energy efficient. Consider replacing old light globes with LED globes. LEDs are by for the more energy efficient option, they consume considerably less power and have a much longer lifespan than incandescent light globes.

5.  Depending on the temperature and where you are, consider the use of pedestal or ceiling fans to cool down your holiday home. These can be very effective and will save a lot more energy than using the air conditioning. In the evenings if it cools down, turn off the appliances altogether and take advantage of any breezes by opening windows and doors to cool the area naturally.

6.  Pull down any outside blinds/awnings to reduce the amount of direct sunlight and create shade. Keeping your holiday home as cool as possible will mean that your air conditioner does not have to work as hard when you turn it on.

7.  Use a cold wash in your washing machine where possible – most of the energy goes into heating the water so this is a very easy way to make some cost savings. If your machine has a short or eco-cycle available consider using this for appropriate loads.

8.  Hopefully in summer we shouldn’t have to resort to using the dryer but weather can be unpredictable in Victoria so make the most of any sunny day and get the washing on and line dry it.

9.  Make the most of the holiday and get out there and enjoy some barbecues! Avoiding using the oven is not only more energy efficient but it also means you are not unnecessarily heating up your house.

10.  Decide what you need out of the fridge before opening it – opening and closing the door unnecessarily uses more energy as the fridge is working more to keep the temperature constant.