If you own a Subaru, chances are you’re no stranger to quick trips and summer vacations. It’s always great to pack up and get out of town for a little while, but it’s not always so great for your wallet — or the environment. You might have heard some tips about how to have greener, more sustainable vacations while you’re on the road, but there are actually a lot of things you can do back home before you leave, too. If you want to conserve energy and have more sustainable road trips, read on for some tips from the Adventure Subaru team.
Unplug
Before you head out on vacation, the first thing you need to do is take care of those energy-sucking vampires known as your appliances and electronics. Did you know that things like TVs, computers, cable boxes, game stations, coffee pots, microwaves — the list goes on — continue to consume energy even when they aren’t being used? It’s true! It doesn’t take long to do a sweep of the house and unplug as you go. Be sure to pay attention to even the smallest electronics like razors, clocks and even phone chargers. Not only will you be saving energy, but you could potentially be preventing an electrical fire as well.
Bring the Heat
A lot of people get confused about what to do with their air conditioners when they go on a trip. It can be a little tricky to figure out whether you should turn it off or simply adjust it. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re just leaving for a weekend getaway, it’s probably okay to turn off your air conditioning entirely until you return. However, if you’re planning to be gone for a week or more, it’s smarter to simply increase the temperature setting. If your thermostat has a vacation mode, that’s a great place to start! Otherwise, try setting it to about 85 degrees. Keep in mind that for every degree you turn it up, you can save about 2-3 percent on heating costs. Make sure the fan is set to “auto”, not “on”, and remember to keep pets in mind! If you have any pets that will be home alone, make sure you’re keeping them at a comfortable temperature.
Shut it Down
It’s pretty easy to remember to adjust your thermostat before heading out, but your water heater might be a different story. Water heaters are easy to forget because they’re usually hidden away in a basement or closet somewhere. You can benefit a lot from remembering, though, because water heaters are among the top three energy-using appliances in your home. Simply shut off the circuit breaker connected to the water heater, and if it’s gas-powered, turn off the valve as well. Once you return, most water heaters should only take about an hour to heat back up.
Lights Out
While it can be very helpful to turn off most of your lights, it’s generally a good idea to leave a few on to keep potential burglars from getting any bright ideas. What you can do, though, is make sure that you’re using LED bulbs rather than oldschool incandescent bulbs. LEDs will help save you a lot of energy and help lighten the load of the air conditioner since they don’t produce as much heat. If you can, it’s even better to use automatic lights that work on a timer, or some other “smart” lights that you can turn off and on remotely.
Shutout
Our final tip is a little different form the rest, because it doesn’t directly involve electricity. This one’s all about your curtains and blinds! You’d be surprised how much energy you can actually conserve just by closing them. Wherever light is shining into the house, it’s also letting heat in. When you cover all your windows, it slows the rising temperature, keeps the house cooler, and doesn’t require your air conditioner to work quite as hard. Who knew such a seemingly small thing could make such a big difference?
Next time you head out for a weekend road trip or an epic summer vacation in your Subie, keep these tips in mind. You’ll be doing yourself a favor, and the environment will thank you too. If you are in need of a Subaru to go on trips with, we can help with that! Stop by Adventure Subaru in Fayetteville to check out our vast selection in person, or take a look at our inventory online.
Fill out our contact form here.
