3 Tips for Conserving Energy in Your Apartment

By Danielle Wirsansky on October 31, 2016

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

For many college students, living in your own apartment is one of the highlights of those college years. The homework, the grades, the stress — having your own space to come home to that you are in charge of can be the best part.

But having your own apartment often gets glamorized and the less fun parts like cleaning and having to pay bills gets swept under the rug. Paying bills can be very stressful especially when it is the first time in your life that you really have had to do so. You will get a bill and be shocked that your utilities bill could ever be that high. What were you doing to get such a charge? And worse, how will you afford to pay the electric bill?

Conserving energy is not just good for the environment; it will also help your wallet. So read on to learn some ways that you can begin conserving energy in your own apartment!

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Change the temperature.

This tip can be easily overlooked but can really help you to manage your electric bill. When you leave the house, change the temperature setting so that your air conditioner and heater are not working so hard to keep the apartment the perfect temperature when you are not even going to be there to enjoy it.

It takes less than a minute to make the adjustment and you should do it as you are on your way out the door. You can even leave yourself a note on the inside of your front door saying, “Have you fixed your temperature?” to remind you to adjust it before leaving the house as it is very easy to forget to do so.

If it is winter, lower the temperature when you leave. If it is summer, raise the temperature before you exit the apartment. And you do not need to make the temperature change extreme — that will only raise your electric bill. If it’s 90 degrees out, do not set your apartment temperature to 110 degrees. And it might be hot or cold when you arrive back to your apartment but once you do you can set the temperature back to what you would prefer it to be and it should right itself within a few minutes.

Use ceiling fans.

If you get hot in your apartment or if it feels stuffy, instead of automatically lowering your temperature, try using an overhead fan. These fans are often forgotten about, but really, that is what they are there for. And if you already have them installed in your apartment, why not use them?

Ceiling fans move the air and make it cooler much quicker than the air conditioner can. And they have three different settings for if you need just a little bit of a cool down to if you want to start a tornado in your living room.

And that way, only the room you are in is affected. Why cool down the entire apartment with the air conditioner if you are just sitting in your room? The ceiling fan is more convenient, quicker, and more efficient. What have you got to lose?

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Open windows.

Another way to conserve energy in your apartment is by opening a window or two. It is the simplest way to change the temperature in your apartment and the best for the environment because it costs nothing to do.

Garner that wind energy and allow it to help un-stuff your rooms and lower the temperature (or if your apartment is too cold but outside is warmer, to warm it up). It is best if the window has a screen so that bugs and rain do not make their way in, and you should not forget to close the windows when you leave the room or the apartment (you do not want any unwanted animals or people making their way inside).

But as long as you stay on top of the window situation, it should be fine. You can leave yourself a note on your door right underneath your sticky note reminding you about changing the thermostat that will remind you to check and make sure you have closed all your windows before leaving. Opening your windows can also be really pleasant because a lot of students are trapped inside working and studying and do not often have the opportunity to make it outside to enjoy nature.

This is a simple way to feel the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair and smell some freshly mown grass and hear a bird or two cheep. If you have a screened porch, you could leave the door open to that too. Just let yourself enjoy the world while you are conserving energy and kill two birds with one stone.

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