Going on Vacation? Winterize Your Home!

Six tips to keep your home safe and save on energy costs

Many folks in the Hudson Valley are hitting the roads, the rails, and the sky to visit loved ones for the holidays, or to take a long-deferred vacation. If you’re one of them, you have some things to do besides packing. Following these tips help keep your home safe while you’re away, giving you peace of mind. You’ll also use less energy, saving you money. That’ll come in handy on your trip!

Get your heating system tuned up

Even though you won’t be home, your house still needs to be kept safely warm. If your furnace or boiler break down while you're gone, the temperature inside your house may drop low enough to freeze and burst the pipes. To arrange for your maintenance tune-up, give us a call today.

Top off your fuel tank

Make sure that your home has enough heating oil and/or propane to keep your heating system and water heater running. This is especially important if you are going to be away for more than a few weeks. A full tank prevents you coming home to a fuel run-out and a cold home.

Keep in touch with us

If you’re an Automatic Delivery customer and will be away for more than a few weeks, let us know. We base our delivery schedule on your fuel usage history as well as current weather. Informing us prevents unneeded deliveries to your home. Also, make sure to 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.

Program your thermostat

Don't waste resources and money heating your home while you're not there. Set the thermostat to 55˚ Fahrenheit until you return. It saves energy while still keeping the house warm enough to protect the pipes. If you don't have a programmable or smart thermostat, take advantage of holiday sales and get one! A smart thermostat comes in handy when you’re on vacation. You can check your thermostat settings anywhere you get a signal, and you can set it to warm up the house ahead of your return.

Turn down the water heater

Give your water heater a vacation, too. Turn your water heater to the “Vacation” or “Low” setting. Since heating water makes up about 20% of your energy costs, this can help you save a lot of money!

Unplug energy vampires

Energy vampires are electrical equipment and appliances that consume energy even when you aren't using them, resulting in higher electricity bills. The kitchen and bathroom are the most common locations for these energy vampires. Unplug small kitchen appliances such as multicookers, coffee makers, stand mixers, and toasters. In the bathroom, disconnect 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

Kimlin Energy is the Hudson Valley’s leader for reliable heating oil and propane delivery as well as HVAC and home comfort equipment service. Become a customer today!