The impending winter months might be most horrifying to students living off-campus. For the juniors and seniors who can no longer take advantage of automatic dorm heating, the price of staying warm this winter is a cause for concern.
As oil prices rise, there are several measures that students living off-campus can take to save on their energy bills. On Nov. 1, Anja Kollmuss, a project coordinator for the Tufts Institute for the Environment (TIE), led a seminar on the Tufts campus on saving money and energy as a tenant. She spoke with the Daily to provide the tips that appear in this article.
Many of the simplest and most effective ways of saving energy are obvious. For instance, turning down the thermometer at night or when you are out of the house allows for substantial savings. According to Kollmuss, for every degree that you turn down, you'll save about two percent on your heating bill. Programmable thermostats are a good consideration. If you forget to turn down your thermostat, this device could really help you save energy and money.
There are several other energy-saving strategies that are not so obvious: dusting your radiators and filters, for example, aids the transmission of heat so that you actually receive the amount that you're paying for.
Because leaks are responsible for about one-third of the energy loss in an average home, insulation is perhaps the most important factor in using heat efficiently, Kollmuss said. Students can air-tighten their off-campus homes by covering windows in an inexpensive plastic that is available at any hardware store.
"The process is quick and easy," said Tufts senior Daniela Mauro, who has air-tightened the windows of her off-campus house in anticipation of the winter cold.
The plastic is thin and heat-shrinkable. After cutting a sheet to fit your window space, you can stick it onto the window using double-sided tape, and then you merely use a hair dryer to shrink the plastic so that it is taut. It's almost as if you are shrink-wrapping the window.
"Rope caulk" can also be used to fill in gaps in the window. This material costs about $5 for 90 feet, and the putty is easy to press into window gaps.
Kollmuss warned that electric space heaters are not a preferable alternative to oil heat. "Electricity is much more expensive than oil or gas," she said. "An electric heater only makes sense if you live in a large house that you don't want to heat, but instead you want to heat only one small space in that home."
"In general, space heaters cost more and are a less environmental choice," Kollmuss added. "Natural gas is the most environmentally friendly choice."
As Kollmuss discussed in her seminar, free energy audits are available to renters with oil or gas heat. Utility companies include the cost of these audits in energy bills, so they are a service you are already paid for and may as well take advantage of.
Some utility companies help homeowners by offering subsidized efficient electrical appliances and even reimbursing up to 50 percent of the cost of insulating your home.
There are also several measures students can take to save energy that are not directly related to heating mechanisms. For example, using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwaters, washing machines and clothes dryers will help you to save money on your energy bill.
Dusting refrigerator coils regularly and microwaving food instead of heating it on an electric stove are other small ways to save energy.
Adding insulation to an electric water heater is a relatively inexpensive way to cut down on heating costs. Insulation can reduce standby heat losses by 25 to 45 percent, which saves between four and nine percent in water heating costs.
If your water heater tank is warm to the touch, then it needs additional insulation. You can find pre-cut jackets or blankets for between $10 and $20, and you should choose one with an insulating value of at least R-8. Some utility companies sell these coverings at low prices, offer rebates or install them at no or low cost.
More information for Mass. residents is available through 1-866-527-SAVE, and Kollmuss will lead another seminar on saving energy as a tenant today at 12 p.m. at the Posner Lecture Hall on Tufts' Boston campus. Details from the lecture can be found in flyer form at the TIEWebsite, http://www.tufts.edu/tie/tci/homeenergy.htm
