we do and it usually screws up my cable box. last time i think the listing on it was messed up (not displaying) for a week and they claimed ther was nothing wrong and to give it time.

my wife is also super paranoid of fires while we are gone, so yes it all gets unplugged

Yes, although lamps draw no power if they aren't on. Switching them off is the same as unplugging them. I'd turn off all the lamps and open a few blinds if you are worried about light for the cats. They see much better than us in low light and light leaking through your windows at night should be plenty. Cats also prefer it warm, so something like 80 or 85 should be fine for your AC.

I wouldn't be so concerned with lamps as charmac said, I would be more concerned with computers, stereos, TVs and entertainment centers. I have my entertainment center (32inch flat screen, stereo, xbox 360, dvd player) plugged into a power strip and turn it off during trips and at night. After about a month I definitely noticed a difference in my electrical bill (about $30-40 less depending). I try and keep it turned off when it's not in use.

After contacting my electrical provider, I found out that turning off your AC isn't recommended. Raising it 5 degrees is fine for a few days, or longer periods, but you use more electricity when you return to cool off your home.

I have most things plugged into powerstrips. So, before a long vacation ( > 1 week ), I just switch all of them off. Easy.

I always unplug almost everything. Another reason to do this is in case there is a thunderstorm while you're gone, you reduce the risk of having your things destroyed by a power surge. When I'm home, I unplug sensitive equipment when the storm arrives, but when I'll be away, I unplug them before leaving instead.

I keep everything unplugged (microwave, TV, ...) every time I just step out of the house. But then again, I'm one person and don't really have a lot or use the microwave or TV a lot. I do keep my laptop and hard-drive plugged in because my battery can die if left uncharged for a long while and the hard drive can become defective if not kept plugged in. Those kinds of electronics are really important and people make the mistake a lot of keeping them unplugged for long trips. I had a laptop battery that just went kapootz after it died and didn't charge for a day.

I unplugged my entertainment center power strip the last time I went out of town, only to realize on my trip that all of the shows I intended to record would not be recording, since my cable box was unplugged. Next time, I think I'll just unplug individual items from the power strip, instead of unplugging the whole thing!

I shut off all power at the circuit box, except for the Fridge, Router, Satellite box(DVR), the alarm system, and the automatic gun turrets.

I mostly use powerstrips that I shut off all the time when I'm not using the appliances attached to them. But on overnight or longer trips, I also unplug most things and shut off the modem powerstrip as well and I have seen major savings - usually about $1 a day or so less on my electric bill.

I'm also a power strip user, and I try to remember to switch them off before I'm out for a weekend getaway (typically, watching my parent's anxious dog while they're out of town).
I've lost some major electronics to power surges, so I'm paranoid about it now. Makes unplugging easy, though!

We unplug daily... the price of electricity in South Africa more than trebled this past winter - we turn everything off if we are not using it... you would be amazed at how this small saving adds up!!!

My monthly bill is less than $40/month - It's not worth the effort to me.

"I do keep my laptop and hard-drive plugged in because my battery can die if left uncharged for a long while"

You do realize that by leaving your laptop plugged in and not running it off the battery at least once a week that you're destroying the battery's ability to hold a charge?

@bepsf, question: Should the battery be allowed to run all the way down?

In answer to the initial question... yes, if I'll be gone more than a week I unplug everything except the refrigerator.

... but my laptop goes everywhere I do.

@rosenatti --

My understanding is that running the battery all the way down and recharging right away isn't nearly as damaging as not allowing it to power the machine at all.

As long as electrons are moving around, the battery is maintaining it's capability to hold energy - Without allowing them to move, the capability diminishes.

@bepsf -- Thanks for the info and the reminder. I'm running off my battery now (long overdue, alas) and will let it go down to zero for calibration's sake. Determined to make this one last. In the past, I've been known to kill a battery just to watch it die.

In our house we turn off at the socket switch anything with a light or a clock (i.e. cooker, stereo, TV) as soon as we've finished using it. The only exceptions are the broadband box and the cable box. It's an easy habit to get into, and we save money while we sleep (!) then when we go away we don't have an extra thing to think of.

i have never heard of anyone actually having a power surge cook their stuff. it's always this mythic caveat. when i took the power strip i was convinced to buy with my a/c back, the salesgirl acted like i was a fool. she turned to the guy next to her and told him that i had plugged the a/c into the wall per the manufacturers explicit instructions. well, miss thing i still haven't had any problems. and having my $30 feels much better.

i try to remember to turn off my entertainment center power strip and my computer/surge protector during the day. i think it saved about $10 on my electric bill. LED bulbs have no noticeable effect on my bill. but i rarely use lights during the day.

I unplug everything when I vacation. I unplug when not in use or when I leave for work. It's a habit at this point. Unfortunately, my lazy roommate has 5 gajillion things plugged in at all times and refuses to change her ways so my electric bill is not impacted greatly by what I do. But tomorrow when I leave for vacation, my power strips will power down.

If you invest in a quality surge protector, electronics normally don't have problems with power surges. I normally never unplug my computer and television since both are used daily and never had a problem with a power surge frying anything. I'll never ever let my laptop run just off the battery while away for more than a day or two after killing the battery completely (along with the hard drive since it had no power) in my last laptop. I'll pay extra to have it plugged in.

I've never gotten why people unplug lamps. A lamp uses no power when not turned on and even if you forgot and left it on if the cord isn't faulty (sp?) or extremely old, you aren't going to have a fire over it.