Energy Conservation Tips
Pittsburg State University’s residence hall system is a self-supporting operation. In other words, the payments you make for room and board generate the funding needed to pay for the basic services that go along with the operation of the halls (i.e., air conditioning, heat, water, electricity, natural gas, cable television, etc.). Therefore, the more heat, air conditioning, and electricity everyone uses, the more everyone will pay in room and board.
To help you conserve energy, the Department of University Housing offers the following energy and resource conservation tips.
Conserving Electricity
- Turn off your room and bathroom lights when you are not at home.
- Turn off your television when not in use or not at home.
- Clean and defrost your mini refrigerator periodically. Remember to dust off the cooling coils behind the unit when you clean it. Dusty cooling coils and frost-covered freezers make the refrigerator work harder to keep cool.
- Clean lamps and light bulbs (make sure they are cool first). Dirt absorbs light and cuts down on the effectiveness of your lamps.
- When purchasing electronics for your room, check to make sure they are UL approved and that they are the most energy-efficient models available (look for the EPA Energy Star label).
Conserving Energy
Laundry
- When washing clothes, follow the recommendations of the detergent manufacturer. Using too much soap will cause over-sudsing, which will make the machine work harder and will not clean your clothes as well. Machines only use liquid detergent.
- Evenly distribute dryer loads so you are not putting a load of jeans in one dryer and a load of t-shirts in another. The t-shirts will typically dry in less than the 60 minute dryer cycle, whereas the load of jeans may require more time, therefore saving you Banana Bucks and using less electricity and natural gas at the same time! Check to make sure the lint screen on the dryer is clean before each load. A dirty lint screen is not only an energy waster; it can be dangerous as well.
Heat/AC
- Keep your room temperature as warm as possible when the air conditioning is on, and cool as possible when the heat is on, while still keeping the room comfortable.
- Consider purchasing a fan for your room. Circulating the air in your room will make it more comfortable and keep the temperature consistent.
- Do not place weather stripping around or under your room door. It will not make that much difference in the temperature of your room and it may jam the locking mechanism of your door, in addition, you would be responsible for the cost of repairs.
- When cleaning your room, do not forget about the heating/cooling unit. Dust your univent at least once a week, as dirty and dusty vents will prevent the smooth, consistent flow of warm or cool air into your room.
Conserving Water
- Report all dripping and leaking faucets, showerheads, and toilets to your RA or building front desk as soon as possible.
- Take shorter showers – cutting five minutes from your shower can save over 10 gallons of water!
- Use less water by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth.