After two years of social and travel restrictions, many UAE residents will be travelling abroad this summer, to see family and friends. So, it is essential that both homeowners and tenants, make sure that they don’t return to any nasty surprises.

Apart from the critical pre-summer A/C service, there is still a lot more that tenants and homeowners can do to reduce their utility bills while making their homes smarter, safer, and more environmentally friendly.

Zohaib Azhar, Head of Operations at Farnek’s leading home maintenance company Hitches & Glitches, offers tips to reduce energy consumption, save water, and improve safety in homes.

Ten tips to reduce energy consumption in homes: 

• Invest in a smart thermostat or other smart energy saving devices, such as NEST, which records the optimum temperatures of your home and automatically readjusts the indoor temperature - reducing your energy consumption by up to 20%. 
• Drawing the curtains in empty rooms will help reduce the heat radiation through your windows and will keep your home cooler, or fit solar blinds (sit in between window and curtains) to reflect sunlight and heat (helps to aid light and sensitive sleepers as well).
• Did you know that 90% of a washing machine's energy is used to actually heat the water? So, if you wash your clothes at 30-40 °C you'll reduce your electricity bill. 
• Unplug all electrical appliances when not in use.
• Fit Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lights, they use less energy and last longer than conventional bulbs and produce less heat.
• Move tall/heavy furniture away from AC vents to maximize air flow.
• Service your AC units if required to ensure optimal performance
• Fix draft excluders to all exterior doors and windows to stop cool air escaping and hot air, sand and dust entering. 
• You can also reduce your energy costs with exterior landscape shading, which reduces heat radiation and cools the air before it reaches the walls and windows of your home.
• Consider painting the exterior of your home with heat-resistant paint.

Ten tips to improve safety and security at home:

• Install a smart ‘doorbell’. With a device such as RING, which when activated rings the homeowner via a smartphone or laptop, the door can be ‘answered’ via a two-way voice call, with live streaming of the visitor.   
• Add smart lighting gadgets or timers to activate lighting and curtains at home while you’re away.
• Fix motion detectors for exterior floodlighting 
• Mount internal and external smart cameras which can be operated from a smartphone, tablet, or laptop wherever you are. 
• Have your existing door locks serviced and have new or additional locks fitted if required
• If you have cash, jewelry, documents, or other valuables, it is a good idea to install a safe at home, even if it’s just so things don’t get lost or thrown away by accident!
• Get your electrical wiring checked (25% of building fires in Dubai are started by electrical faults)
• Make sure your fire extinguisher and fire blankets serviced
• Check all of your electrical appliances for wear and tear, especially cables, cords, and plugs, and check the warranties.
• Also, when was the last time you got your water tank cleaned? Warm temperatures encourage bacterial growth.

Ten tips to save water:

• Check garden sprinklers for leaks and check timers (put on early morning and early evening to avoid rapid/excessive evaporation). A leak, while you are away on vacation, could be very costly
• Ask gardeners and home help not to use the hose on patios, and encourage them to brush leaves and dust away.
• If you have a pool get the pool serviced
• Consider installing pool coverings and patio awnings to provide shade and reduce evaporation.
• Attach tap aerators to reduce water consumption, contrary to the belief they do not affect the water pressure
• Invest in duel flush toilets if you don’t have them already
• Use grey water (used bath and sink water) for flower beds and indoor plants
• Get dripping taps, shower heads, and toilets checked – you’ll be surprised just how much water they waste
• Also, never use a washing machine or dishwasher unless you have a full load.
• Make a habit of turning the tap off while you’re brushing your teeth, it’s good to educate the kids as well.

Finally, don’t forget to update your home and contents insurance, accidents do happen, so don’t be complacent – yes it can happen to you! And, remember if you’re a tenant, house and contents insurance is not the landlord’s responsibility…it’s yours!