Tess in the Burbs Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I just had a visit at my mom's house. She keeps the air near 80 and it was hot, but when we left the house she turned off all the ceiling fans! Which means when we got back from going outside it was hotter inside and you had to turn all the fans back on to cool it off. I understand why not to leave a dryer on...had a neighbor lose their house, but honestly, I do let mine run when I leave. But turning off every light and every fan got me to thinking....is she just weird? uber conservative? over concerned? What do you leave on when you leave the house? Do you leave the dryer on? Or fans running? What's weird is she has no problem programming the stove to come on when she's gone..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I don't think that I leave anything on when I leave, but its a matter of timing mostly, given my routines, the laundry/meals etc are already completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We always turn off ceiling fans if no one is the room, much less in the house. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so there's no reason to waste the electricity. We turn off the lights when no one is in the room (or the house) for the same reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We always turn off ceiling fans if no one is the room, much less in the house. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so there's no reason to waste the electricity. We turn off the lights when no one is in the room (or the house) for the same reason. This. We leave nothing on when we leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so there's no reason to waste the electricity. I keep trying to tell that to dh but he won't believe me. So they run. All. The. Time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I live dangerously. We leave on: Dishwasher Washer/Dryer Crockpot if it is sitting on the stove Oven on a timer (rare but I have done it) LIghts are usually turned off, but I don't go hunting around the house for random lights that were overlooked. Ceiling fans because we use them to move the upstairs air around to the return air vent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I'll leave the washer, dryer, and dishwasher running, particularly if I won't be gone very long. I cut off fans (figure that's a waste of energy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I make sure that neither the dryer, washer, nor dishwasher are running when I leave. I turn the heat down to 60 both when I leave and when we go to bed. During the day the window AC units run on energy saver mode. At night, the ones in the bedrooms run all the time primarily so they don't wake up the light sleepers when they cycle on or off. AC is set at 70 when we're home and 80 when we're not. I turn off all lights when leaving a room. If we've gone out and will be gone until after dark, I leave porch lights on and a light on in the living room so that our black Houdini cat doesn't escape when we come home. If we're out of town, I leave the upstairs hallway light on and a light downstairs on for security reasons. Again, when out of town, I unplug the microwave, toaster oven, and coffee pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I live dangerously. We leave on: Dishwasher Washer/Dryer Crockpot if it is sitting on the stove Oven on a timer (rare but I have done it) LIghts are usually turned off, but I don't go hunting around the house for random lights that were overlooked. Ceiling fans because we use them to move the upstairs air around to the return air vent. This except for oven and we don't have ceiling fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We leave ceiling fans on all winter. We have high ceilings and they push the hot air back down to where we actually live. Our average daily temperature in February is 10 degrees. I'll take all the help I can get to stay warm. Computers stay on all the time here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I just had a visit at my mom's house. She keeps the air near 80 and it was hot, but when we left the house she turned off all the ceiling fans! Which means when we got back from going outside it was hotter inside and you had to turn all the fans back on to cool it off. I understand why not to leave a dryer on...had a neighbor lose their house, but honestly, I do let mine run when I leave. But turning off every light and every fan got me to thinking....is she just weird? uber conservative? over concerned? What do you leave on when you leave the house? Do you leave the dryer on? Or fans running? What's weird is she has no problem programming the stove to come on when she's gone..... Not fans. Never the dishwasher or the dryer. My computer is always on. I leave on, at night, one small light in the family room. One lamp in the living room is on a timer, and the light in the china cabinet. Oh, and both front and back porch lights are on timers so they are on every night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We leave on a light and the radio to make it seem as though the house is inhabited. We only started doing this some ten years ago after our house was robbed. I'd also leave the dryer going if it contains a load. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 The only appliance we leave on is the crockpot, and it sits on the stove when we use it. If we're going to be gone all day, then we reset the A/C or heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1GirlTwinBoys Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Never the dishwasher, washing machine or dryer. We do leave ceiling fans on all the time so it helps circulate the air from the A/C. I may leave on a lamp occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Short or day trips? We leave everything on except lights and computers. Long trips? Nothing except maybe heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I would never leave the house with the dryer running or the oven on. I would leave both the dishwasher and washing machine running, although DH does not like to do either. Computer is on all the time. We have ceiling fans running constantly in the bedrooms. Hmmm...I need to re-think that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We leave our ceiling fans on all the time. We're in/out frequently, often multiple times a day. It's way too much of a hassle to turn them on/off for the very small amount of electricity we'd save. I will leave the crock pot on when I'm gone. I don't like to leave the washer, dryer or dishwasher running when no one is home, but I'll do it in a pinch. But usually only if there's just a few minutes left. We only turn our computers off if we're going to be gone overnight or longer. If it's going to be dark when we get back home we leave on a few lamps. We always leave the living room TV on for the dogs (the cats, too, but I don't really think they care). When we turn our air conditioning or heat on . . it's on. We don't fiddle with the temperature or turn it on or off constantly. We turn it on and forget about it. We do adjust the temperature appropriately if we're going to be gone overnight or longer. I wouldn't leave with the stove or oven on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We only leave on the ceiling fans if we're in the room. Their main purpose is to keep the air moving so you feel more comfortable; they don't actually change the temps in the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We leave the light in the living room on because the switch is far from the door and if something happened and we didn't get home until after dark we would have to get halfway across the room to get to it. The computer is seldom turned off and the air conditioning is on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I leave the ceiling fans on all the time. Its a habit more than anything. I will let the washer finish if there is a load in but I will turn off the dryer. The only other thing I leave on is the crockpot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 I always felt like the fans were moving air, so keeping it cooler overall and we let them run year round..... I will have to try turning them all off and see if it feels hotter. We are in an upstairs condo now, facing south, so it feels hot in here to me all the time, so I leave the fans running all the time! But I will try turning them off in rooms and see how I feel :-) I run the dryer if it has a load in it, the crockpot, one light if gone past dark, air/heat but we never change the temperature unless going out of town for several days, computers. I think that is it. I'll let you know if my no ceiling fan experiment works....still not convinced it doesn't help move air thus cool the rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I leave on the AC / furnace and refrigerator. Sometimes I will leave the laundry finishing a load, but I prefer not to do that. I leave my computer on, but it shuts off automatically if I'm away for a while. I do not like to leave lights on. Some people who live here feel differently, though. OK, one exception. I leave the light on in the furnace room in the basement, all the time. It is one of those long-lasting, low-energy, low-heat deals. The reason I leave it on is that I was told it would discourage critters from coming inside and taking up residence. Not sure if it helps or not. ETA, I don't use the ceiling fan. It bugs me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I live dangerously. We leave on: Dishwasher Washer/Dryer Crockpot if it is sitting on the stove Oven on a timer (rare but I have done it) LIghts are usually turned off, but I don't go hunting around the house for random lights that were overlooked. Ceiling fans because we use them to move the upstairs air around to the return air vent. Me, too, except the oven. I leave ceiling fans on because they keep the air circulating and help the AC to be more efficient (especially in the upstairs; it's amazing how stuffy it gets without them). We have floor fans that run constantly upstairs, too. I turn off all the lights unless it's dark or going to be dark when we return. Then, I leave a lamp or two on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We always turn off ceiling fans if no one is the room, much less in the house. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so there's no reason to waste the electricity. We turn off the lights when no one is in the room (or the house) for the same reason. Exactly and electricity is brutally expensive here so I can't afford to cool a house no one is in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Our new water-efficient dishwasher takes FOREVER to run through a cycle (2 hours 10 minutes), so I will leave it running. I run it at night, too (it's very quiet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I always felt like the fans were moving air, so keeping it cooler overall and we let them run year round..... I will have to try turning them all off and see if it feels hotter. We are in an upstairs condo now, facing south, so it feels hot in here to me all the time, so I leave the fans running all the time! But I will try turning them off in rooms and see how I feel :-) I turn on the fans of the rooms I am in, but there's no point in leaving them on if I'm not in there. Studies (which I cannot quote, lol) have shown that they don't, in fact, lower the actual temperature in a room; they just make us feel more comfortable because the air is moving, which is why there is no point in leaving them running in a room when no one is in it. Oh, and I turn on the fans in the winter as well as in the summer. I cannot sleep without air moving. o_0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Most Everything off, AC/heat adjusted so not cooling/heating too much while we aren't there. I leave laundry room light, and light over range in if we will be back after dark. Back light on too if going to be dark, we live rurally so no street light to illuminate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I always leave at least one light on. I noticed a few years ago that when I go for walks, it's obvious that some homes are definitely unoccupied during the day. It's less obvious on a bright, sunny, summer day when it stays light later, but in the winter or on a gloomy day, a house with no lights on looks unoccupied and seems like an obvious target for a break-in. I kind of imagine that given a block of homes where 2/3 have no lights at all on, they'd choose one of those to break into, instead of one of the few with lights on! I also run the dishwasher and the washer while gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I tend to leave the ceiling fan on, but we have pets in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I know someone who had a house fire due to faulty wiring in her ceiling fan, which was on. Really, that could happen anywhere if there's a wiring problem though. I tend to turn everything off, but I do leave the crockpot on if I leave the house, and I'll let the dishwasher run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I always leave at least one light on. I noticed a few years ago that when I go for walks, it's obvious that some homes are definitely unoccupied during the day. It's less obvious on a bright, sunny, summer day when it stays light later, but in the winter or on a gloomy day, a house with no lights on looks unoccupied and seems like an obvious target for a break-in. I kind of imagine that given a block of homes where 2/3 have no lights at all on, they'd choose one of those to break into, instead of one of the few with lights on! Exactly. We had three break-ins and two attempts in 9 months at our first house. It is why we make the effort to not make our home look empty when it is. Also, we like to leave on our front porch light so that when friends come to visit us after dark they can actually see where they are going. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 An article. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1029 One of the myths about ceiling fans is that they lower the temperature in a room. Actually, ceiling fans do not lower room temperature. However, they do create a breeze, making room occupants feel cooler and more comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I leave on washer, dishwasher, dryer, rice cooker and slow cooker, but not oven.L ETA: our dryer is not plumbed into the wall: it's a condenser dryer, so all lint areas are at the front of the machine and easily cleaned out, not buried at the back. I checked with our local fire service, and the experienced officer I spoke to had never attended a dryer fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Things I have left on: Crockpot Dryer (even though I know I shouldn't) Master bedroom light and ceiling fan (so it looks occupied) Small light in the kitchen because we enter house from the garage in the kitchen. I turn up the ac thermostat. The house does not need to be arctic cold when no one is home but I do leave it cool enough to keep out humidity and the dog comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 We leave everything on except the dryer (fire hazard). It's more difficult to know if someone is home or not when the inside looks like it always looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 If you're talking about just short periods during the day, such as to the grocery store or a friend's for the evening, we turn off the lights and we're good to go! We'd probably turn off the fans too, and we close the windows if it looks like rain. But if it's hot enough to turn on the air (which we rarely turn on -- it would need to be 90 degrees and humid), we would definitely leave the air on in order to keep the house cool. For longer trips (when we're gone at least a night), we do leave on a couple lights and a radio, but turn off everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I leave a light on in the front room so that I don't come home to a dark house. We live in an old house with sketchy wiring. We don't have a lot of modern conveniences. No dishwasher, no thermostat, no central air or heat. We don't leave the crockpot on here, though I did/would in a more modern house. I leave the washer and dryer going, but they are not in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilma Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I *love* leaving while my washer, dryer and dishwasher are all working -- it's like I get to go play (in reality it's probably grocery shopping, but whatever) while these wonderful machines do my work! It feels luxurious to me. I try to turn off all the lights (and associated ceiling fans). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Well, see we don't tend to stay in one room all day long. We spend quite a bit of time going from room to room. There is no point in shutting off the ceiling fan. Even if someone has left the room, someone else is bound to be there again very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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