Tuesday Travels: Energy Goblins

As far as I’m concerned Halloween marks the start of the Holiday season. Here in Germany it’s even less of a stretch. All Saint’s Day is celebrated on November 1st and then before you know it St. Martin is visiting and St. Nicholas is dropping treats - and that’s all before Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving.

Yes, the holidays are upon us and for many that means a bit of travel. So, when it’s time to head over the river and through the woods to grandma’s leave your house efficiently vacant and avoid the energy goblins.

This time of year, when temperatures drop, a little green goes a long way. These quick steps will make a difference and they don’t take much time.

• Unplug your appliances including TVs, DVD players, microwaves, computers and any other non-essential electronic devices. Even when off, these devices can eat electricity and are among the hungriest energy goblins.
• Lower your thermostat to avoid wasting fuel and money. If you’ve got an energy-saving programmable thermostat you can set it to warm the house a bit before you arrive home. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat now is the time to get one.
• Turn the hot water heater down or off while you are away. Heat loss from hot water storage tanks is a huge energy drain. Your hot water heater won’t know you’re gone so it will keep working to keep water hot, and that heat will just go to waste. While you’re at the tank do yourself a favor and check for any signs of expansion or rust.

Get Around: Be sure to check out Transportation Tuesday at Inhabitat!