Reducing energy in your dorm room

Reducing energy in your dorm room

The high energy prices. Unfortunately, it’s still a hot topic.

Because many landlords offer a contract where the energy costs are no longer included in the total rent, we would like to give you some tips to keep your energy bill as low as possible in your dorm room.
Because you prefer to spend that budget on more fun things, right?

Defrost your food in the refrigerator

Sunday evening, you arrive at your room. In addition to a week's supply of clean underwear, your suitcase also contains some homecooked meals. So long live the freezer! Plan your meals ahead and take it out of the freezer the night before you want to cook it the next day.

From now on, let those delicious meals thaw in the fridge instead of the microwave. Your refrigerator has to cool less, your microwave has to work less long and therefore consumes less. A win-win!
If possible, fill up your freezer as much as possible. Empty spaces consume unnecessary energy. If there are not enough items in it, you can fill the empty drawers with plastic bottles filled with water or Styrofoam. Your fridge, on the other hand, will consume more as it is filled. So check that nothing is due in the fridge.

There is a lid for every pot

Cooking water for pasta? Remember: you use up to 75% more energy when you cook without a lid and it takes longer for the water to boil. So come on! Put that lid on that cooking pot!

Break your own shower record

Enjoying your favorite music in the shower, it can be so relaxing. Why not be creative and turn that moment into a competition between yourself and your music? The less time you spend in the shower, the cheaper it becomes. Can you take a shower in just under two songs?
Do you still want to link a third number to it? Then turn the water temperature a little colder or purchase a water-saving shower head. Did you know that with such a shower head you can save about twenty percent on water and energy consumption compared to the 'standard' shower head? So it makes a huge difference on the bill.
Need another tip? Turn off the water during shaving and washing and use it only to rinse off. Using 2-in-1 products such as shampoo that also conditions or a body wash, which doubles as a shampoo, can also save you time, energy and money.

Byebye standby

Disconnecting. Everyone needs it at some point. Your devices too!

Leaving the TV on standby, keeping your laptop in standby with the plug in the socket, leaving your mobile phone charger in the socket, the clock on the microwave, .. One of the most common wastes of energy is through “phantom energy”. So, it’s recommendable to keep your chargers and any dorm room electronics unplugged when you’re not using them. And that counts on your invoice. Money that you really prefer to spend on maybe your Valentine's Day this month.

Time saving tip: buy a power strip with a general switch. This way you can turn everything off at once!

Lights off

Make it cozy with candles. That's light, cosiness and warmth all-in-one.
Still need a little more light? Replace your old lamps with LED lighting because they cost a lot less. Just like with your appliances, remember not to leave any lights on unnecessarily.

Are you going out for a night out or going home for the weekend? Turn off the lights when you leave.

Insulate for dummies

Not everyone is lucky enough to live in a new building. An older building has its charms, but sometimes a lot of heat slips out through small cracks or windows and doors that do not close perfectly. Draft strips to the rescue! Stick these in places where you feel the cold coming in.
Problem solved!

You can also insulate the radiator even more by placing radiator foil behind the radiators. Or use aluminum foil, if you really want to go low budget. The foil reflects the heat and thus ensures that the heat is not absorbed by the wall behind the radiator, so that no heat is lost.

Out for the weekend

That brings us to our last topic: heating!
Arriving on Sunday evening and your room is nice and warm? Then you probably forgot to turn off the thermostat on Friday night. Your houseplant may be grateful. Your final invoice - not so much-.
You can also insulate the radiator even more by placing radiator foil behind the radiators. Or use aluminum foil, if you really want to go low budget. The foil reflects the heat and thus ensures that the heat is not absorbed by the wall behind the radiator, so that no heat is lost.

Turn off your heating at least an hour before you go to sleep. This way it gradually cools down and you can sleep in a fresh room. That’s beneficial for your night's sleep. Another win-win!