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Vacation Planning: Leaving-Home Safety Checklist

Remember when you were a kid and right before vacation your parents did the standard vacation check-list to make sure everything was taken care of before you left for your long-overdue destination? Those rules still apply, but the things on the checklist have changed a bit since you were young. With the kickoff of vacation season this July 4th, we here at Emmer figured now would be a good time to point out some safety tips when protecting your home, even though you aren’t there.

If you can get to the outdoor key, a robber can too.

Lock It Up: Obviously, you didn’t have plans to leave the door swinging for any ne’er-do-well to come waltzing inside. But doors aren’t the only way someone can get in the house. Be sure to lock all windows and it’s a good idea to unplug the garage door from the remote transmitter. If it’s locked and can’t get opened by remote, they can’t get inside. Also, if you’ve taken the time to make sure things are locked up, don’t give the public a key. Storing a key outside the house, even in a place you think is really hidden, will probably be found by a conscientious burglar. If you have to store a key outside of the house, try giving it to a neighbor to stash for you.

Hire a Friend: You’ve been told for years that if you leave the house for a while, you better suspend the newspaper and mail service. However, in doing so, you’re letting someone out in the world (that you don’t know) know that you’re house is being left unattended. Instead, why not ask a friend or neighbor (or hire them, if necessary) to watch over the house while you’re away. They can take in mail and newspapers, put out trash, mow the lawn, and do whatever else is necessary so your house isn’t left exposed.

Unplug and Disconnect: People can be scary, but so are fires and floods. When you leave the house, turn off anything that you wouldn’t be using, and that includes water to the washing machine and exterior faucets, the air conditioner or heater and being sure all small appliances are unplugged. It’s a small gesture that can save you a lot of hassle and heartache.

Don't put anything on Facebook you don't want this guy to know about.

Hide Your Vacancy: If you don’t want unwanted guests when you aren’t home, don’t let them know you ever left. Set lights on timers so they go on and off as if you are there, and set a radio on a low volume talk show near a window to give the impression of voices talking. In fact, one of the biggest things you can do to protect your home takes place after you’ve already left, and that’s keeping your awesome vacation information off of social media. We know you want to share that awesome picture you took at the beach right this second, but in reality, Facebook can wait (Want proof? Check out this video). Save the bragging rights for after you get back and can safely keep an eye on your door.

Little things can really make a difference when you’re protecting your home. We hope everyone has a safe and fun vacation, no matter where you go! !

Do you have any tips for vacation safety? Let us know in the comments below!

Solar Panels: Fighting Fire with Fire!

If you’re like us and are currently at the mercy of Gainesville’s weathermen, then we’re sure you were as excited as we were to hear that today’s temperature is reaching a blistering high of 97 by mid-afternoon. These scorching temperatures mean pumping more and more AC into your homes and paying higher and higher electric bills to keep the heat at bay.

But some places are using the heat to fight the heat, in every sense of the word. A trend in solar panels, specifically in residential homes, has been growing at an average rate of 51% annually for the last 5 years, according to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

We’ve all heard about it and how using renewable energy can save the ice caps and our polar bear friends that dwell there, but few of us know how it actually works or why it’s so much better. Most of us live “on the grid,” which is just a scary-sounding term simply meaning we run off the power lines and energy source serving most of the country. But this energy comes from burning coal and oil, which is polluting the air by releasing harmful gases. Not to mention, once we use up all these resources, they’re gone forever. Then what?

Solar panels absorb sunlight and convert those energy particles into a direct current. Through an inverter, this current can be changed into alternating current, which is how we power our homes. This energy is clean, renewable, and best of all, can reverse how much electricity we use, taking your bills farther and farther down to nothing. (For a more technical explanation, check this out!)

There are a ton of other perks to having solar energy. Though it can be pricey to install, the New York Times recently reported that homeowners who install solar power have an increased premium on their homes, which just about equals the original expense. Nowadays, you can even build your own solar panels (check out this great video on how to make it yourself!).

Even we here at Emmer have begun harnessing the sun. In 2009, EDC had solar panels installed on 28 buildings in our Stoneridge Apartment complex, making it the first existing student apartment in Gainesville to convert to solar energy, and the total wattage amounts to 750kW (see photo above)! It’s the largest solar panel complex in the city, and one of the largest in the state. This cuts down on our electric usage in the club house, the fitness room, the staff offices, and even the laundry facilities.

So next time you get sweated out of your own home, maybe it’s time to consider a “sunnier” alternative.

Have you ever considered installing solar panels or using solar energy? Let us know in the comments below!