Unplugged: what to shut off and unplug when you’re away on vacation

It’s surprising how many people forget to unplug unused appliances when they go away for an extended period of time, whether it’s for work or a much-needed vacation.  Many appliances and electronics still draw energy even when they’re “off”, so you’re essentially paying for those devices when they’re not in use.  Here are a few things you should turn off or unplug when you’re away for more than a weekend trip:
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1. Air Conditioning: Unless you have pets you’re leaving at home, you can turn your A/C off completely.
2. Lights: This applies for when you leave a room, but is an obvious one when you leave for a trip.  Do a final sweep around your home before you leave to make sure all lights are shut off.
3. Water heater: This is an obvious one for when you’re going on vacation.  If it’s an electric water heater, you can turn it off from the breaker switch.  While you’re at it, you can probably turn off the entire water supply to prevent potential leaks.
4. Electronics and small appliances: Think computer, laptop, modem, routers, common kitchen appliances like your coffee machine, hot water dispenser, toaster ovens, blenders, food processors, etc.  These are notorious for slipping out of our minds, but while we’re not thinking about them, they’re constantly sucking small amounts of energy even when not in use, so don’t forget to unplug them before you leave.

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Example

​At Electrician St. Catharines, we recently worked with homeowners to prepare their home before a vacation — and educated them on how to reduce energy costs while away and improve long-term efficiency. For a house in the north end of St. Catharines, we reviewed their utility bills (in the wider Niagara region monthly electricity, heating, water & garbage for an average household might run around CAD $200–$220). 

We showed them how to set the thermostat higher (cooling) or lower (heating) while away, switch off non-essential circuits (like workshop outlets, extra lighting, entertainment systems), and install smart timers for their vacation‐mode. We also looked at long-term upgrades: replacing outdated incandescent lighting with LEDs, ensuring standby loads (like chargers and phantom‐power devices) were unplugged, and checking that their HVAC system filter was clean so it didn’t run inefficiently while they were gone. We estimated that by reducing standby and phantom loads alone they could shave 5–10% off their monthly energy bill when on holiday, and by implementing the longer-term measures they could reduce annual energy usage by several hundred kilowatt-hours — much like how their municipality’s own energy‐management plans have aimed to reduce building consumption by over 11% in recent years. 

The result? When the homeowners returned, they found their home still comfortable but with noticeably lower utility numbers. They earned peace of mind knowing we’d helped future-proof their electrical setup for better efficiency and savings, while protecting their home through their absence.

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Being aware of what uses up energy even when not in use can really help you save money in the long run.  Unplugging and shutting things off is particularly important the longer you’re gone, so take the time to turn off these sneaky energy stealers and go enjoy your vacation!

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