Electrical Appliances that Need to be Powered Off
Before leaving your house, make sure to turn off your electrical devices. You don’t necessarily need to unplug them from the outlet, just turn them off. If you have pets at home and you’re going to be away for a long time, it’s important to leave the air conditioner on, but set the temperature a bit higher than usual to prevent it from overworking.
Water heaters consume a lot of energy to keep the water hot. If you have a gas-operated water heater, switch it to “pilot” mode. For electrically operated water heaters, make sure to turn off the switch after use.
Turning off the water supply won’t save electricity, but it will prevent leaks while you’re away.
Electric light bulbs consume a lot of electricity, so remember to turn them off before leaving. If you’re concerned about security, you can use timers or keep a few bulbs on to deter thieves.
Electrical Appliances that Need to be Unplugged
Electronics that have external power sources or chargers, such as game consoles, radios, and smartphones, should be unplugged before leaving home. This reduces the risk of short circuits, fires, explosions, and also saves energy.
Electronics with standby or “sleep” modes, like desktop computers, DVD/Blu-ray players, and alarm clocks, should be unplugged as well. These devices still consume a small amount of electricity even when turned off.
Modems and routers should be unplugged to save electricity and protect your Wi-Fi network from potential hacking while you’re away.
Household electrical appliances, such as coffee machines, toasters, and microwaves, should be unplugged as they can be a fire hazard. Do not leave them plugged in.
Refrigeration appliances, like refrigerators and freezers, should be unplugged if they have built-in lights, timer modes, and other modern features. However, most current refrigerator models with energy-saving inverter technology don’t need to be unplugged unless you’re away for an extended period of time.