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How To Save On Winter Energy Bills As A Student
With the increasing cost of essential student accommodation bills such as gas, water and electric, it is easy to rack up large account sums during the winter due to careless uses of energy. Constantly turning the central heating levels up or forgetting to switch appliances off are the most common causes of expensive bills, but there are many strategies students can take to be smart and use energy efficiently during the cold season. Here are a few tips to help save on those all-important pennies, but stay comfortable and live a healthy lifestyle during the winter months at university…

Research

Many students believe that they are unable to switch from the energy provider that their landlord supplies them, or are fooled into thinking that the cheapest deal has been set up for their accommodation. By simply conducting research via comparison sites, or even speaking directly to your own tariff provider to bargain a better energy deal, students can cut their bill costs by large sums. Pre-payment meters are also an effective strategy in money-saving, if they are set up on a cheap deal with a supplier. Although they do not enable direct debit payments, they can save cash in the long term.

Switching Off

Perhaps the most simple cause of high energy bills, leaving appliances on standby or plugged in still remains to be a common bad-habit with students – losing them money on utilities and light bulbs! Electric heaters, blankets and fan radiators can also become a problem in keeping your costs down, as they ironically burn through household energy at an extortionate rate without pumping out huge amounts of heat. Try turning your thermostat down a few notches, we doubt you’ll feel the difference! And if you’re cold-blooded and need sweltering central heating, then try adjusting the radiator settings around your flat to your preference.

Smart Usage

Does that one shirt need to be washed separately? Or could you wait until your washing basket is full to put on a load? Smart appliance usage is an effective method in saving on energy bills as a student, without having to do a great deal. Washing clothes on a maximum load is just one of many ways you can do this…
  1.       Sticking with clothing, if you’re not desperate to iron items then why not leave them on hangers to get rid of those creases…
  2.      In the kitchen, cooking as a team with a few of your flatmates saves on the usage of electric appliances like your oven and microwave…
  3.      Switch to your mobile data! If you have limited Wi-Fi access, make the most of your mobile devices’ usage to get value for money from both your mobile and energy tariffs…

Layering up

This doesn’t mean turning the heating off and wrapping yourself in a thick blanket, but simply wearing jumpers around the house rather than a t-shirt or shorts. You can also set heating timers around your study schedule, meaning if nobody is lounging in the accommodation during the daytime, heating can be utilised in the morning and evening to keep you comfortable. Touching on a previous point, further research to ensure a cheaper tariff can also save money to help heat your accommodation more regularly.
Published on: 26 Aug 2021