Before you start a vacation, invest a few minutes in turning things off. By giving your appliances and electronics a vacation, you'll be saving energy and avoiding safety hazards. And the money you save can help pay for your trip.

1. If it's a cool part of the year, turn down your thermostat to 50 degrees. If it's summer and you have air conditioning, turn off the AC or turn the temperature setting up to 85 degrees.

2. Turn off the water heater at the electric panel box if you are going to be gone for more than three days. It will take only a few hours to reheat your hot water. Leave yourself a note to turn it back on when you return.

3. Turn off all lights. If you leave on any household lamps for security reasons, attach them to a timer, and use energy-saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

4. Unplug all instant-on or standby power electronic devices, such as TVs, DVD players, stereos, computers, and coffeemakers with a clock. These items that use phantom power can account for as much as 10% of home energy use. You can plug multiple devices (such as TV, DVD player, and stereo) into a power strip or surge protector, and then turn all those off with the press of one button.

5. Unplug all chargeable electronics such as cell phones and battery chargers.

6. Close curtains and blinds to help keep the heat in during cool weather and the hot air out during the summer.

7. Refrigerators operate more efficiently when full, so fill the fridge with beverages that won't go bad while you're gone. Water jugs work well.

8. Turn off the hot tub, or lower the temperature setting and reduce run times.

9. Turn off outdoor decorative water fountains, features, and pumps.

10. Check garage and outbuildings (such as wood shops and studios) to make sure all unused electric devices are off or unplugged.

11. Read the meter when you leave and when you get home, so you will know how many kilowatt-hours were used. This is a smart way to detect hidden energy wasters such as electronic devices that appear to be off but are really on standby or phantom power.

For more tips, advice, and information about saving energy and lowering your utility bills, rely on the energy experts at EWEB.