Graduate student Shannon Proctor has seen it happen every year.
As the temperature gets lower and lower, the utility bills keep increasing. Proctor, like many other students, has tried conserving energy in the winter and still ends up paying about four times more for utilities than in warm months. In fact, she’s not sure if her efforts worked at all.
“I’m not sure how much of it is wanting to feel better and hoping that things have an effect,” she said.
But conserving energy will help students save money, and there are simple ways students can change wasteful energy habits.
Most students know that lowering the temperature in their home will save energy, and students with programmable thermostats could save even more. Chris Kielich, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Energy, said people who lower their thermostat temperature when they’re asleep or out of the house could save 10 percent annually on energy bills. Kielich recommended keeping thermostats at 68 degrees during the day and lowering the temperature 10-15 degrees before falling asleep.
“People are going to jump under the covers at night, anyway, so they like it a little cooler at night,” Kielich said. “If you get an automatic programmable thermostat, you won’t have to think about it.”
Kielich also recommended agreeing on a room temperature with roommates to prevent people from continuously raising and lowering the heat.
Students in dorms who don’t have thermostats can heat their rooms by opening their blinds and drapes during the day, Kielich said. Letting in sunlight will warm up the room and closing the blinds at night will help prevent the heat from escaping.
One of the major wastes of energy in homes, Kielich said, is vampire power. Vampire power is the electricity used by appliances when they’re not in use. TVs, phone chargers and even toasters use energy when turned off, and unplugging them will prevent it. Kielich said the best way to eliminate vampire power is to plug appliances into a surge protector and turn it off when the appliances are not being used. Doing so could reduce energy costs 5 to 15 percent.
The kind of lightbulbs students buy also can affect energy consumption. A compact fluorescent lamp, or CFL, is an energy-efficient lightbulb that, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, can save up to 75 percent more energy than incandescent lightbulbs. CFLs cost more than incandescent lightbulbs, but they produce less heat and last 6 to 15 times longer than normal bulbs.
“Basically, in the time before you move out of that flat, you won’t have to get another lightbulb,” Kielich said.
Saving energy isn’t just restricted to homes, said David Smith, environmental specialist for East Lansing’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. One example is people who leave their cars running to warm up before leaving, which wastes more fuel than necessary, Smith said.
“It’s pure, almost foul, wasted energy,” he said. “Your car only needs to run for a few seconds to actually get all the fluids pumping and everything working properly. After that, it’s really for your own comfort.”
Proctor said she will use tips like these to reduce her high utility bill, and said she hopes enough people join in to make a difference.
“We do have obligations and ?responsibilities to others and the ?planet,” she said.
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