Heading out for vacation is exciting, but an unprepared home can quietly rack up energy and water costs while you’re away. It can run the HVAC harder than necessary, keep lights on with no one home or hide a slow leak that goes undetected for days.
A little prep work before you leave can reduce energy usage, protect your home and lower your utility bills. Here’s a room-by-room and system-by-system guide to getting your home vacation-ready, whether you’re gone for a long weekend or several weeks.
Adjust Your Thermostat
Heating and cooling account for nearly half of a home’s energy use. According to ENERGY STAR, when leaving for vacation, choose an efficient “Vacation” or “Hold” setting on your thermostat, a few degrees warmer in the summer and a few degrees cooler in the winter. This reduces how often your system runs while still protecting your home from extreme temperatures. Avoid turning the system completely off in either season. In winter, a home with no heat is at risk of frozen pipes, which can burst and cause serious water damage. In summer, unconditioned indoor temperatures can damage wood floors, electronics and other heat-sensitive items.
For even more control, a smart thermostat makes vacation mode effortless. You can adjust the temperature remotely from your phone if plans change or a heat wave rolls in unexpectedly.
Smart thermostats like the Nest Learning Thermostat can be controlled remotely and set to energy-saving modes while you’re away. The Nest learns your preferences and adjusts automatically, so your home is comfortable when you return without wasting energy while you’re gone.
Related Eco Actions Article: How to Choose a Smart Thermostat
Shut Off the Water Supply
One of the smartest things you can do before a vacation is turn off the main water supply to your home. Even a small, slow leak like a dripping pipe joint or a worn toilet flapper can waste thousands of gallons over a week and cause serious water damage if it goes undetected.
Locate your main shutoff valve (typically near the water meter, in the basement or utility room) and turn it off before you leave. If you prefer to leave the water on, consider installing a smart water monitor like the Moen Flo. It tracks flow in real time, sends alerts to your phone if it detects unusual activity and can automatically shut off the water supply in the event of a major leak, making it ideal for vacation peace of mind.
The Moen Flo installs directly on your main water line and works around the clock to monitor your home’s water use, whether you’re home or away. Compatible with the Flo by Moen app, it gives you full visibility and control of your water supply from anywhere.
Related Eco Actions Article: How to Detect and Fix Water Leaks
Put Lights on a Timer
Leaving lights on for security is a common practice, but it also means running bulbs 24 hours a day for the entire trip, which is an unnecessary use of energy. A smarter approach is to put lights on a timer or connect them to a smart hub so they turn on and off on a schedule that mimics normal activity.
Smart bulbs and plugs can be scheduled through an app, giving you control over which lights come on and when. This saves energy while still giving the appearance that someone is home.
Hubspace smart bulbs connect to the free Hubspace app so you can set schedules, control lights remotely or automate them with routines. They use a fraction of the energy of traditional incandescent bulbs and can be turned off from anywhere, even if you forgot before you left.
Related Eco Actions Article: How Hubspace Is Transforming Lives at Home
Put Irrigation on a Timer or Pause it
Outdoor watering is one of the easiest ways to waste water while on vacation. A system running on a fixed daily schedule doesn’t account for rain, cooler temperatures or the fact that your lawn may actually need less water than usual.
Before you leave, check your irrigation controller and do one of three things: Turn the system off entirely if you’ll be gone a short time, reduce the schedule for a longer trip or upgrade to a smart irrigation controller that adjusts watering based on local weather data. Lawns and gardens typically need less water when temperatures are mild or when rain is in the forecast, so a fixed daily schedule can end up overwatering and wasting water while you’re away. Many smart controllers can be paused or adjusted remotely from your phone.
The Rain Bird ARC8 connects to Wi-Fi and adjusts watering schedules based on local weather conditions so your yard isn’t getting watered during or after a rainstorm. It can also be paused remotely, making it easy to manage your system from anywhere.
Related Eco Actions Article: Smart Irrigation with WaterSense
A Few More Things to Check Before You Leave
- Replace HVAC filters. A dirty filter makes your system work harder and less efficiently, regardless of whether you’re home. If you’re overdue, swap it out before you go so you return to a system that’s running at its best.
- Check door sweeps and weatherstripping. If you can see light around a door or window frame, air is escaping. A quick inspection now helps year-round efficiency.
- Unplug electronics and small appliances. TVs, coffee makers, gaming systems and other plugged-in devices draw phantom power, a small but constant energy use even when the devices are off. Unplugging them or using a smart power strip cuts that waste entirely.
Additional Resource: Seal Gaps and Cracks Before You Leave
For homeowners looking to go a step further, vacation prep is actually a great time to seal air leaks around windows, doors, pipes and utility openings. Gaps and cracks allow conditioned air to escape and outdoor air to enter, which forces your HVAC system to work harder year-round. Because sealants need time to cure, applying them before you leave means the job is done and fully set by the time you return.
For larger gaps around window and door frames where air infiltration is a common issue, Loctite TITE FOAM Windows and Doors Spray Foam expands to fill irregular spaces and creates a durable, airtight seal, making it ideal for the rough openings and voids behind casings where traditional caulk can’t reach. For the exposed seam where the frame meets the wall, GE Window and Door Sealant forms a flexible, paintable finish seal that holds up through seasonal temperature changes. Together, these two products work from the inside out to tighten your home’s envelope before you head out the door, and both are available at The Home Depot.
Related Eco Actions Article: Home Weatherization: Comfort, Savings and Sustainability
A Little Prep Goes a Long Way
Getting your home vacation-ready doesn’t have to take a full weekend. Most of the following steps can be completed in an afternoon: adjusting your thermostat, shutting off the water, setting timers on lights and irrigation, checking filters and unplugging electronics. Together, they can meaningfully reduce energy and water use while you’re away.
For homeowners who want to go a step further, sealing gaps and cracks before a trip is a practical way to improve long-term efficiency with the added benefit that you won’t be home to smell fresh caulk.
