Save money, Save the planet:
Creating a lived in look, while saving on expenses can be tricky. You want to deter potential burglars but don’t want to leave the lights on or 
the radio blasting full time. Here are just a few ideas to give you piece of mind so you can enjoy your time away from home:
- Adjust the thermostat: For the warmer times of the year, keep your home around 80 degrees (about 26 Celsius). If your home is damp, it may be a good idea to run an energy efficient dehumidifier. The combination of humidity and high temperatures is deadly (literally). For the colder times of the year, you must be concerned with frozen and bursting pipes. It’s more common that you may think! A flood is NOT something you want to come home to after some time away. An easy remedy is to keep the living quarters above freezing temperatures. Common sense that is easily overlooked!
- Power Down all non-essential electronics and appliances: While you want to make your home seem occupied while you are away, keeping all of your electronics and appliances plugged in and on is a complete waste of your money and the worlds energy (we all contribute, no matter how small we think we are in the grand scheme of things). Do you really need the home theater, TV, clock radios, coffee makers and computers on while you are away? Unplug them completely! Make your home seem occupied by purchasing a few timers. You can get a few for each room at about $10 a piece. Have the living room timer come on when it is getting dark out and have a lamp plugged into it. Have a timer in the bedroom come on for an hour or two around bed time. Simply put, think about your routine and schedule the lights in accordance to when you put them on when you are home. Simple, Safe, Secure, “Green” and Economical!
- Halt Mail and Newspaper Delivery: Nothing screams “I’m not home” more than a pile of newspapers and an overflowing mailbox. Visit, Call, or go online to the USPSto have them hold your mail until you return. Do the same with your newspaper delivery service.