Save Money During Your Winter Vacation!

Written on: December 13, 2021

Winterizing your home before you leave town

This has been a challenging year. Everyone deserves a vacation. Especially with the holidays just around the corner, folks everywhere are booking flights, packing their bags, and hitting the road again. If you and your family will be travelling this winter, don’t forget to think about the New England home you’ll be leaving behind. By taking a few steps to winterize your home before you leave town, you can lower your energy bills.

Winterizing tips

Here are five ways to winterize your home:

1. Adjust your thermostat: Your home doesn’t need to be as warm while you’re away. Adjusting your thermostat means energy and money saved. Just make sure you don’t turn your heat of completely. The freezing temperatures we get during a New England winter means you need to think about your pipes. You don’t want them to freeze or burst.
2. Adjust your water heater: Your water heater is responsible for a sizeable portion of your home’s energy costs—roughly 20%. Before you leave for vacation, lower the temperature on your water heater. Some water heaters even have a vacation setting. If yours doesn’t, a good rule of thumb is to lower the temperature 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Eliminate energy vampires: Energy vampires are devices that consume energy (usually electricity) even when they’re not being used. Your microwave or coffee maker are both energy vampires. Their digital displays require energy even when you’re not using the unit. Unplug as many energy vampires as you can before you leave for vacation. Unplug items that have a digital display or a status light. Unplug all chargers, TVs, washers and dryers, printers, and gaming systems. But don’t unplug everything. As we’ll discuss in the next section, you’ll want a few lights to remain plugged in. And if you want your DVR to keep recording, you’ll need to leave it and anything that supports it plugged in.
4. Install motion sensors and timers on lights: Leaving everything unplugged while you’re away will lower your energy bill, but it may also make your house a target for burglars. Here’s an economical middle ground. Instead of leaving a light on or all your lights off the entire time you’re gone, set a couple indoor lights on timers and install motion sensors on your outdoor lights to provide some security without adding too much to your electricity bill.
5. Increase your home’s energy efficiency: The more energy-efficient your home is, the more money you’ll save all year long. You’ll also find your home isn’t as cold when you come back to it because it will lose heat at a slower rate. Caulk your windows and add weather stripping to your doors. This will provide year-round benefits. You can also add plastic coverings to your windows during the winter. Make sure your home is well-insulated, especially the large spaces like the attic that often remain uninsulated.

Finally, if you’re not one of Brideau Energy’s automatic delivery customers for propane or heating oil, check your fuel levels before you leave to make sure you don’t need a delivery. You don’t want to risk having a run-out while you’re away or when you get back. That would be a terrible kicker to a great vacation!

Brideau Energy is the premier family-owned, top-quality fuel company in the region. We have earned our reputation by serving our central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire customers with fairness and honesty. Click here to see if we’re in your neighborhood.

Contact us today to become a customer, request a fuel delivery, or receive service. Your comfort is our priority.