Going away? What to switch off and what to leave on

The fridge and freezer are the obvious ones. For a long trip you can empty the fridge, switch it off and prop the door open to stop mould, but most people leave both running. Before you go, check which circuit they're on and which safety switch protects it. If that safety switch trips while you're away, a full freezer can be lost before anyone notices.

Anything that protects the house should stay on too: smoke alarms, an alarm system, sensor lights, a pump that needs to run, and any medical or aquarium equipment someone is minding. Leave the modem on if security cameras, smart lights or the air conditioner app rely on it.

Portable heaters, electric blankets, the iron and hair tools should be switched off at the wall and unplugged. So should chargers for phones, laptops, e-bikes and power tools; there's no reason for a battery to sit on charge for two weeks with nobody home. Unplugging the TV, computers and game consoles saves standby power and protects them if a storm brings a surge.

Energy Safe Victoria advises turning off and unplugging appliances at the power point during a power failure, to help prevent damage from a surge when the power returns. Unplugging before you leave covers the same risk while nobody is home to react. Turn the heating or cooling off at the controller unless pets or plants need it.

An electric storage hot water service keeps a full tank hot all day and night, so switching it off for a long trip saves energy. Many have their own switch or circuit breaker on the board. If you turn one off, give it time to reheat fully when you get home before anyone showers, and follow the manufacturer's advice on how long that takes.

Heat pump and solar systems often have a holiday mode, and many gas systems have a vacation setting on the control. Check the manual rather than guessing, and use only the settings it describes as user controls. Anything involving the gas supply or the appliance's internals is work for a licensed gasfitter or plumber.

A few days before you leave, press the test button on each safety switch. Energy Safe Victoria tells householders to do this every three months: the switch should trip and cut power to its circuits. If lights or appliances don't lose power, the safety switch may have failed and a licensed electrician should be called straight away. Reset it afterwards and make sure the fridge and freezer come back on.

Testing days ahead gives you time to fix a problem. A safety switch that won't reset, or keeps tripping, is far better found while you're home than by a neighbour peering into a dark kitchen. Test your smoke alarms too; Fire Rescue Victoria says to hold the test button until the alarm beeps three times.

A house that's dark every night for two weeks, with the same blinds shut and the bins still out, says nobody is home. A plug-in timer on a lamp is the simplest fix. Smart switches or globes can bring lights on at different times each evening and let you check them from your phone. Sensor lights over the front door, driveway and side gate light up anyone approaching and earn their keep all year.

Test any lights you're relying on the week before: sensor lights that aren't stuck on in daylight, timers set to the right time and smart lights on the app you'll use. Ask a neighbour to collect the mail, move the bins and glance at the switchboard if the house seems wrong. A note inside the switchboard door saying which switch runs the fridge makes that easy.