Here are 6 easy tips to lower your environmental footprint while taking your next vacation.
- Check your car’s tire pressure: Poorly inflated tires waste gas and cause more pollution.
- Change the filter in your furnace: Keep heating and cooling systems running efficiently – whether you are home or away.
- Install a programmable thermostat: It takes about 10 minutes to install and allows you to save lots of energy costs when you are not home. It’s easy to turn the thermostat down (or up) to levels that would be otherwise uncomfortable if you were in the house. And, now you can even get a thermostat that you can control from your smartphone to reset the temperature prior to your return.
- Turn down your water heater when you are going on a long trip.
- Use fans to move the air inside your home. This gives the sensation that it is 5 degrees cooler than the actual temperature.
- Turn off or even unplug your appliances – including televisions when not in use. For example, televisions draw power constantly for the instant-on functionality.
Have a great vacation while you reduce your carbon footprint.