Protect Your Home While On Vacation

Now that the weather is warming up and the kids are completing the school year, it’s VACATION TIME! I remember the days as a kid going to the Outer Banks each and every year with the family, making great memories and world class, errrr, barely standing sandcastles. A few of my buddies went camping each year, and even some lucky friends traveled international.

While you’re packing up for a trip full of fun memories, it’s a great idea to protect your home during your excursion. This year, try some energy conservation measures, too!

Let’s first cover the basics:

• Alert the local police department. Many have programs where they will come by and check on your home.
• Hold the mail and the newspaper. There’s no better display to criminals that you’re on vacation than a stack of newspapers piling up.
• Put your valuables in a safe or safe deposit box. It’s an extra step of caution, but it’s much easier than replacing family heirlooms.
• Don’t advertise on social media websites that you are going out of town.
• Give your house key to a trustworthy neighbor and ask them to watch over the house. Even better if they move your car around in the driveway a few times.
• Pay a trustworthy neighbor to cut your grass, giving the appearance someone is home.
• Double check your locks (and window locks!) before you leave.

This year, consider some Energy Conservation measures:

• Keep your CFL light bulbs on timers. They’ll turn on and off; making it look like someone is home.
• Adjust your thermostat up a few degrees. Nothing too extreme, though. And many programmable thermostats have a ‘Vacation’ setting which will have the home at a comfortable temperature upon your return.
• Unplug electronics you don’t need, like the TV, microwave, computer, and alarm clocks. Better yet, keep the electronics on a power strip and turn the strip off.
• Make sure your water heater is set to 120 degrees, not artificially higher (this is a tip you can use year round!)

Think you’ll forget these items? In addition to making a packing checklist, make a home protection checklist. This will help ensure everything gets done, even if you’re scatterbrained looking for your 5 year old son’s right shoe.