Labor Day is meant to honor hard work, but it’s also about taking a well-deserved rest. While you’re taking time off this weekend, why not give your appliances and home systems a little rest, too? The result: lower energy bills, less wear and tear, and more power available for other uses.

Here are a few easy ways to lighten the load on your household systems:

Quick Start: Unplug Energy Vampires

Many devices keep sucking down electricity even when “off.” These “phantom loads” waste a dollar or two for every ten dollars spent on electricity. Before heading out for a trip—even just overnight—unplug items like:

  • Coffee makers, microwaves, and toasters with digital clocks

  • Chargers and power bricks for laptops, tablets, and phones

  • Entertainment centers and game consoles

Tip: A single advanced power strip can automatically shut down an entire cluster of electronics when not in use.

Intermediate: Let Your Thermostat Take It Easy

If you’re away for the weekend, don’t keep your home at full comfort levels:

  • Cooling season: set thermostats up to 85°F if the house will be empty.

  • Heating season: set down to 60°F or below if you live in a cold climate.

Each degree of thermostat adjustment shaves up to 2% off your energy bill.

Advanced: Outdoor and Off-Grid Cooking

Labor Day often means grilling. Try switching to an induction hot plate outdoors, or even a solar cooker if you’re feeling adventurous. Both eliminate fossil fuel emissions from gas grills and keep waste heat outside, so your A/C doesn’t have to work overtime.

Expert: Maintenance as Rest

Think of “rest” as preventive care:

  • Clean refrigerator coils to reduce compressor strain.

  • Check dryer vents to improve efficiency and fire safety.

  • Schedule an annual heating system tune-up before the heavy heating season.

When systems are well-maintained, they run cooler, quieter, and with less energy—just like a well-rested worker.

The Ripple Effect

A household that unplugs phantom loads, resets thermostats during absences, and maintains appliances diligently can cut annual electricity use by hundreds of kilowatt-hours—enough to power hundreds of thousands of AI queries or cook hundreds of meals on an induction hot plate. Scale that up to millions of households, and the collective “rest” is enormous.

This Labor Day, take your rest seriously—and extend it to the machines that work for you every day. By doing less, they’ll last longer, save you money, and lighten the load on our shared planet.

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