{"id":17405,"date":"2023-09-06T15:19:13","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T15:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/?p=17405"},"modified":"2023-09-07T10:36:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T10:36:20","slug":"how-to-be-more-energy-efficient-at-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studentemploymentservices.co.uk\/staging\/3440\/blog\/how-to-be-more-energy-efficient-at-university\/","title":{"rendered":"How to be more energy efficient at University"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you move away to university, there could well be a lot more on your mind than how to be more energy efficient while you\u2019re there – but once you have settled in and you\u2019re feeling more at home, it\u2019s important to work out how you can be more energy efficient. Better energy efficiency will save you money on your utility bills for one thing (always a bonus for a student), plus it is better for the environment and if everyone made just a few small changes, the world would be a healthier, happier, better place. With help from energy assessors Nexus Energy Solutions<\/a>, here are some tips on how to become more energy efficient at university.<\/p>\n

Natural Lighting
\n<\/strong>Keeping your blinds or curtains closed all day and using the lights in your room may feel more comfortable for some people, but it\u2019s not great when it comes to energy efficiency. The more natural light you can use, the better it will be. Not only that, but natural light has been shown to make people feel healthier and be more productive \u2013 perfect for studying or writing those university essays.<\/p>\n

Bulbs
\n<\/strong>If you do need to have your lights on, perhaps because it\u2019s dark or the winter weather has made the sun disappear behind some clouds, then try to change the bulbs you have to energy efficient ones. These bulbs don\u2019t cost any more than standard bulbs, and if you change them one at a time over the course of a few weeks, your budget won\u2019t be massively affected. The money you save on your lighting bills, however, will be noticeable.<\/p>\n

Turn Them Off
\n<\/strong>You\u2019re in a hurry and you need to be somewhere else, or you\u2019re desperate to get to bed after a late night out. What happens? You switch on the lights and then leave the room forgetting to turn them off again. This is not energy efficient. Try to get into the habit of turning off the lights when the room is empty and soon it will become second nature.<\/p>\n

Thermostat
\n<\/strong>Try to leave your thermostat on at a medium temperature. The ideal would be around 18 to 20 degrees C. If you go home for the weekend or during the holidays, don\u2019t leave the heating on or you\u2019ll be wasting money and heating a house that doesn\u2019t need it. If you\u2019re worried that the pipes will freeze leave it on low.<\/p>\n

Close The Curtains
\n<\/strong>We\u2019ve already said that you should try to keep the curtains open as much as possible, but during the hottest time of the day it\u2019s a good idea to close them. This will help to keep the property cooler. In the winter the curtains will help to keep the heat in, so you won\u2019t have to have your thermostat up too much.<\/p>\n

Laptops etc
\n<\/strong>There is no getting away from the fact that you will need to use a laptop or other computer device when you\u2019re at university \u2013 you\u2019ve got to get your work done. The important thing to remember when you\u2019re trying to be more energy efficient is to switch them off when you\u2019re not using them. This is by far the best solution as even on sleep mode these devices are known as \u2018energy vampires\u2019 \u2013 they are still taking energy even if they are dormant.<\/p>\n

Plugs
\n<\/strong>Do you ever leave plugs in their sockets seemingly permanently, even if you\u2019re not using the item those plugs belong to? If so, it\u2019s time to change the habit and start to remove the plugs from the sockets when they aren\u2019t being used. They could still be draining power even if you haven\u2019t used them for weeks. Using a power strip to keep your cables tidy has another bonus; it too can save energy.<\/p>\n

New Items
\n<\/strong>We know that a student\u2019s budget may not be huge, and that when you need a new TV, fridge, or computer you might not be looking to purchase a brand new one. New items are going to be the most energy efficient, and older ones tend to be less so, but don\u2019t worry \u2013 you can still find some that are fairly good on energy efficiency if you take your time and check everything out thoroughly. Make sure they have an energy rating on them, or one that you can look up online if you can\u2019t find it straight away. The better the rating, the more energy efficient the item will be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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