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’re there – but once you have settled in and you’re feeling more at home, it’s 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, here are some tips on how to become more energy efficient at university.

Natural Lighting
Keeping your blinds or curtains closed all day and using the lights in your room may feel more comfortable for some people, but it’s 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 – perfect for studying or writing those university essays.

Bulbs
If you do need to have your lights on, perhaps because it’s 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’t 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’t be massively affected. The money you save on your lighting bills, however, will be noticeable.

Turn Them Off
You’re in a hurry and you need to be somewhere else, or you’re 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.

Thermostat
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’t leave the heating on or you’ll be wasting money and heating a house that doesn’t need it. If you’re worried that the pipes will freeze leave it on low.

Close The Curtains
We’ve already said that you should try to keep the curtains open as much as possible, but during the hottest time of the day it’s 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’t have to have your thermostat up too much.

Laptops etc
There is no getting away from the fact that you will need to use a laptop or other computer device when you’re at university – you’ve got to get your work done. The important thing to remember when you’re trying to be more energy efficient is to switch them off when you’re not using them. This is by far the best solution as even on sleep mode these devices are known as ‘energy vampires’ – they are still taking energy even if they are dormant.

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

New Items
We know that a student’s 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’t worry – 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’t find it straight away. The better the rating, the more energy efficient the item will be.