When you join college, you realize you’re responsible for your wellbeing. You can no longer turn to your parents every time you have a problem. That is why you need to figure out suitable ways to make it to the end of each semester on your own.
The first thing you need to learn is financial literacy. This includes everything that you spend your money on. Before college, you probably knew nothing about utility bills because you had your parents taking care of all expenses.
Now, you have to figure out how to save energy so that too much of your money doesn’t go to the utility bill. What steps can you take to ensure you’re not wasting energy? Are there adjustments that can be made to keep your power bill down? Of course, there is a lot you can do. If you’re living with a roommate, the two of you should come up with a power management assignment. It is upon you to ensure no energy is ever consciously wasted.
Saving money is not all about purchasing cheap drinks and figuring out cheap eateries. You’re on a journey towards adulthood and you’ve got to make it a responsible one. The rest of your life will be greatly determined by how you live in college. Below are cheap and easy ways for college students to keep the energy bill down.
1. Turn your Thermostat Down
Turning down the thermostat always does the trick when you need to keep your power bills down. Remember, your boiler doesn’t always have to be at optimum working levels all the time. Turning down the thermostat just by 1? is enough to save you a lot of money.
2. Turn off the lights when you’re not using them
Each time the lights are not in use, turn them off. Each morning before you go to class, make sure you check to confirm that all the lights have been turned off.
This might sound simple but it makes a very big difference. Especially if you’re using the traditional lightbulbs.
3. Use Low Energy Lighting
Instead of traditional bulb that produce more heat than light, you should consider incandescent bulbs. They’re designed to produce only light and this helps you save a lot of energy.
4. Invest in a Microwave Ready Food
Microwave ready food gets ready in a fraction of the time food usually takes to cook. Make sure you by foods whose taste don’t get compromised because it was microwaved and stored.
5. Buy a Thermos Flask
Owning a thermos flask saves you from having to use the electric kettle each time you want tea or instant coffee. You can also use the hot water for other foods like rice so that you save on gas.
6. Use your Dishwasher
If your hostel has a dishwasher, you should make use of it. After all, it is not there as a decorative piece. They save you more energy as compared to when you wash dishes by hand.
Why?
Imagine how much energy it takes to get warm water at the tap?
7. Lower the Washing Machine Temperature
Did you know that you can turn down the washing machine temperature? Well, when you do, you save a lot of energy because washing machines tend to use the same amount of water regardless of how much closes you’re washing.
Since this water has to be heated before the cleaning process begins, turning down the temperature saves a lot of energy.
Conclusion
Now you have seven ways to help you manage energy while you’re in college. Energy-saving tips ensure you don’t have high utility bills.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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