Things to Be Careful About When Leaving Your Home
Things to Be Careful About When Leaving Your Home: An Electrician's Guide to Vacation Safety
When going on vacation, the last thing you want to think about is your electricity bill — or whether your home is safe while you are away. As licensed electricians serving Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, we get asked these questions regularly. This guide walks you through every decision you should make before you leave.
From phantom power consumption to circuit breaker safety and smart energy-saving strategies, here is what our team at Kato Electrical recommends based on years of residential electrical experience across the Lower Mainland.
Should You Unplug All Of Your Appliances Before You Leave For Vacation?
While you are away, your home may still be drawing power — and you will come home to a bill for energy you never actually used. Many appliances draw electricity continuously even when they appear to be off. Your microwave's clock, your TV on standby, your gaming console in rest mode, and your phone charger sitting in the wall — each of these contributes to what is known as phantom power consumption, sometimes called standby power or vampire power.
Phantom power consumption — the electricity drawn by devices that are plugged in but not actively in use — accounts for an estimated 7 to 11% of your home's total energy consumption. Over a two-week vacation, this adds up to a meaningful portion of your electricity bill for power that delivered no benefit.
The most effective way to eliminate phantom consumption before a vacation is simply to unplug devices before you leave. Walk through your home methodically — room by room — and unplug everything you will not need while you are away. This includes computers and monitors, televisions, gaming consoles, microwaves, air conditioner units, audio equipment, and all phone and device chargers.
What About the Fridge?
The fridge is the largest single energy consumer in most homes and runs continuously. If you are leaving for an extended trip — two weeks or longer — emptying and unplugging your fridge is a worthwhile energy-saving step. Leave the doors slightly open while you are away to prevent the buildup of odours inside.
If you would rather not empty the fridge, consider turning the thermostat dial to a warmer setting (closer to 5°C / 40°F) and packing it with pitchers or bottles of water to fill any empty space. A fuller fridge maintains its temperature more efficiently and cycles on and off less frequently.
We recommend using a smart power strip for your entertainment centre and home office. With one switch — or one tap on your phone — you can cut power to every device in the cluster simultaneously. It takes seconds and eliminates standby power entirely from your highest-consumption areas. Ask us about smart home upgrades that make this automatic: Home Automation Services →
Should You Just Flip The Main Circuit Breaker Instead Of Unplugging?
Turning off the main circuit breaker seems like an elegant solution — one switch eliminates all electricity draw from every circuit in the home simultaneously. And in theory, it works. When the breaker is off, no current flows, and even plugged-in appliances cannot draw power. Your electricity consumption during that period drops to essentially zero.
However, flipping the main breaker is not the right choice for every home, and it comes with important caveats. Here is how to think through the decision:
| Consideration | Unplug Devices | Flip Main Breaker |
|---|---|---|
| Energy savings | ✓ Good — eliminates phantom load | ✓ Best — zero consumption |
| Sump pump | ✓ Keeps running | ✗ Loses power — flooding risk |
| Security system | ✓ Stays active | ✗ May go offline |
| Smart locks / doorbell | ✓ Functional | ✗ Loses connectivity |
| Water heater | ✓ Can be set to vacation mode | ✗ Thermal stress risk |
| Frozen pipes (winter) | ✓ Heating stays on | ✗ Pipes may freeze |
| Breaker wear | ✓ No effect | ⚠ Minor — occasional use acceptable |
Before flipping the main breaker, make a complete list of every device that is important to your home's safety and maintenance while you are away — sump pump, security system, smart locks, smoke detectors with AC power, and any heating required to prevent frozen pipes. If any of these would be affected, do not flip the main breaker. Instead, switch off individual circuit breakers for non-essential circuits while leaving critical ones energized. A licensed electrician can advise on the safest approach for your specific home. Ask us before your next trip →
What Could Happen If You Forget And Leave The Power Running While You're Away?
Forgetting to take any electrical precautions before a long vacation is more common than most people would like to admit. The consequences range from annoying to genuinely serious, depending on how long you are away and what your home's electrical system is like.
Wasted Energy & High Bills
Devices left in standby mode, lights left on, and appliances cycling continuously add up to significant waste over a multi-week absence. You come home to a bill for electricity that benefited no one.
Power Surge Damage
Grid fluctuations, lightning strikes, and utility switching can cause power surges. Without surge protection, sensitive electronics left plugged in — computers, TVs, smart home hubs — can be permanently damaged. No one is home to unplug them when the surge hits.
Electrical Fire Risk
Old or degraded wiring, overloaded circuits, and faulty appliances all pose fire risks when energized and unmonitored. An appliance that would normally be caught early can become a serious hazard in an unoccupied home.
If your home has older wiring — particularly knob-and-tube or aluminum branch wiring — leaving the home unattended for extended periods with appliances plugged in carries elevated risk. These wiring types can overheat under conditions that modern copper wiring handles safely. Consider a professional electrical inspection before a long absence.
How to Save Energy While You Are On Vacation
If turning off the main breaker is not the right option for your home, there are several targeted strategies that significantly reduce your energy consumption and risk without compromising the systems your home needs to stay safe and secure.
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Install a Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat with a vacation or away mode is one of the most cost-effective upgrades for a household that travels regularly. It senses that no one is home and adjusts the temperature accordingly — reducing heating and cooling energy significantly. You can monitor and adjust it remotely from your phone, and program it to return to your preferred temperature before you arrive home. -
Use Timers or Smart Plugs for Lights
Many homeowners leave lights on for security — which is a reasonable instinct, but keeping them on during daylight hours wastes energy and actually signals to observant intruders that the schedule is automated. Light timers and smart plugs allow you to set lights to turn on and off at varied, realistic intervals that mimic normal occupancy. Smart home systems allow remote control from anywhere in the world. Related: LED Lighting Retrofits | Why LED Upgrades Are Worth It -
Draw Your Curtains or Blinds
Radiant heat from sunlight can push indoor temperatures significantly higher than the ambient outdoor temperature — which forces your air conditioning to work harder, even in an empty house. Drawing curtains before you leave keeps the interior temperature more stable and reduces air conditioning load. -
Fill Your Fridge Rather Than Empty It
An empty fridge is actually less efficient than a full one. Thermal mass — the collective cold stored in food and beverages — helps maintain a stable internal temperature with less cycling. If you are not leaving perishables behind, fill the empty space with pitchers of water, which serve the same thermal mass function. A well-packed fridge consumes noticeably less energy than a sparse one. -
Turn Off or Lower Your Water Heater
Your water heater is continuously reheating stored water — even when no one is home to use it. Most electric water heaters have a vacation or low mode that reduces the setpoint temperature during your absence. If yours does not, switching it off entirely for the duration of your trip is the most efficient option, with the only inconvenience being that it needs to reheat when you return. Related: Electrical Heating Services -
Install a Whole-Home Surge Protector
If you are frequently away from home, a whole-home surge protector installed at your electrical panel provides continuous protection for all circuits and devices — even those you cannot unplug. A single power surge can damage thousands of dollars worth of electronics. A surge protector installed by a licensed electrician is a one-time investment that pays for itself quickly. Related: Panel Upgrades | Circuit Breakers & Safety Switches
What Our Vancouver Electricians Recommend
There is no single right answer that applies to every home. The safest and most energy-efficient approach before a vacation depends on your home's age, wiring type, appliances, and which systems need to remain active while you are away. Here is what our licensed electricians suggest as a practical pre-departure checklist:
1. Unplug TVs, computers, gaming consoles, microwaves, chargers, and audio equipment.
2. Set your smart thermostat to vacation/away mode, or adjust manually to a moderate setpoint.
3. Turn off or lower your water heater.
4. Set lights on timers or smart plugs — avoid leaving any lights on continuously.
5. If leaving for more than two weeks, consider emptying and unplugging the fridge.
6. Draw curtains and blinds to minimize solar heat gain.
7. Check that your smoke alarms are functional (battery-backed units will remain active even if power is cut).
8. Confirm that sump pumps, security systems, and any critical appliances remain powered — do not flip the main breaker if these are connected.
If you are unsure about your home's wiring, have concerns about older electrical infrastructure, or want to add smart home features that make vacation management easier, contact our team for a consultation. We serve homeowners across the Lower Mainland and can perform a thorough electrical safety inspection before your next trip.
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Related reading from our blog: Spring Electrical Safety Checklist for Vancouver Homeowners | 10 Overlooked Electrical Mistakes Homeowners Make | Electrical Safety for Children and Parents
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Common questions from Vancouver homeowners about electrical safety before leaving for vacation — answered by our licensed team.