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Energy (and Money) Saving Guide for Students

First, basic information:

About a third of the energy used in the UK is in our homes. Most of our energy comes from non-renewable fossil fuels and they are:

running out, google search ‘peak oil’
contributing to climate change

...therefore continuing as we are is not an option.

Heating

As a general rule:

If you set your thermostat 1°C lower, you reduce your space heating cost by about 10%.

Heating costs loads, over 80% of the average energy bill pays for heating. If you’re in halls or a student house with bills included, think about the people who’ll be living after you, they’ll be paying more for their room because of the heating bills the landlord is estimating to pay from previous years. If you leave your room, turn your radiator off.

What Can You Do To Reduce Heat Loss?

Don’t overheat (thinking about time and temperature).
Reduce drafts and control ventilation.
Use draft excluders around door and windows, seal cracks / holes.
Don’t ventilate more than needed.
Ask yourself if the space actually needs heating, or can you put on a long-sleeve or can I simply cuddle up to someone under a duvet?

Water Heating:

Showers over baths, electric showers are costly but still worth it.
Again, turn the thermostat down as much as possible.
There’s no need to overfill the kettle, it just takes longer to boil and uses an incredible amount of energy.

Electricity

Electricity in the home amounts to much less energy than heating, but costs more per unit because of the National Grid and all the waste in power lines. Plenty of the energy and money saving techniques around the home are obvious; they are simply habits that take time to form.

First off, kit your place out with energy efficient lighting. Buy ‘A’ rated appliances or better, they’ll last longer too!

Other things to consider:

Switch off what you can whenever possible. Measure consumption if you can.
Overfilling your kettle is pointless!
Look at other appliances that use a lot of power and/or are left to run all the time such as battery chargers, laptops and computers plugged in (even if shut down). It all adds up.

Recycling

The council avoids sending loads of waste to landfill and incinerators each year thanks to the residents of Derby doing their part in recycling. Landfill contaminates land, and incinerators pump out toxic gases that shorten lifespan.

Check out the local council’s recycling site

The waste collection happens on a two week cycle, recycling one week, and general waste the other. The council has set it up and it is just up to you to participate, and it feels good knowing the glass and metals in cans and bottles are not going to be wasted.

Recycling around Campus

The University has made some great progress over recent months to increase the amount of recycling around campus – pretty much everything other than food waste can now be recycled. Please make sure you use the bins correctly around campus.

More information can be found at http://www.derby.ac.uk/environment