Congratulations, you’re officially an adult! But with freedom comes great responsibility, such as doing your washing, attending lectures and the dreaded ‘b’ word – bills.
University can be stressful enough without having to worry about whether or not your student loan will cover that whopping energy bill you’ve been saddled with. Don’t leave it to chance, there are several ways you can be smart about your energy consumption which can significantly reduce the overall cost of your bills. There’s help at hand, as we have compiled a list of five simple steps that you can take to reduce your energy bills.
Shop around to get the best deal
Contrary to popular belief, the energy providers you are with when you move into your student house aren’t set in stone. According to research by Love Energy Savings, 33% of people revealed that switching energy suppliers was not something that they had even considered. This highlights the fact that many households still don’t realise that they can get a much better deal by shopping around and switching energy suppliers.
The process is really easy to do, simply use an energy price comparison site to instantly compare thousands of deals. Arrangements can be made on the same day and then it will take 17 days to fully switch. Just make sure you ring your landlord and let them know beforehand, just in case they have a pre-arranged deal with the supplier.
Use a package deal
Dividing the bills between all of you individually can become challenging. There’ll always be someone who rounds their bill up to the nearest 10, or even worse someone who routinely underpays.
Avoid awkward situations by using a service that allows you to pay for all of your bills in one monthly instalment, where an external company takes a fixed sum out of your bank every month. Often packages include extras such as the TV licence in the monthly fee, which can save you money in the long run.
Switch it off
Don’t let your home turn into an energy-sucking vampire by leaving all of your appliances on standby when you aren’t using them. Make sure you turn lights off when you leave the room, unplug appliances and switch the hot water off when it’s not in use.
TVs are one of the worst culprits, as they still consume 10% of their overall energy use when left on standby. Although laptop chargers consume little energy when they are left plugged in, if everyone in a house of six students left their laptops charging 24/7 it quickly adds up to a large sum that could easily be avoided.
Cook communal meals
The kitchen can account for a vast proportion of a student’s energy bill – just consider how much energy it takes to cook around six separate meals more than once a day. Minimise your energy bills – and the washing up – by cooking meals communally as opposed to separately.
Have a timer on your heating
The heating bill can be deadly, some students disappear under a cloud of wool to avoid the inevitable battle with the heating bill, while others steer clear of the boiler altogether.
With the right energy tariff there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to have the heating on. The trouble starts when you forget to switch it off and consequently leave it running during the reading week that you’re all away for. One way to ensure that it only stays on for a small length of time is to set a timer, so you can be sure it will be automatically switched off after a certain length of time.
Image credit: samuraitop/123RF.com