Strategies for Success

It is up to residents to figure out the best strategies for reducing electrical consumption. This website is designed to provide residents some tools and ideas on how to reduce usage. What appliances and technologies do you think are responsible for the "base load" (i.e. things that are always on in a res hall)? What appliances are responsible for cyclical patterns and spikes in use that occur over the course of a day? What ideas do you have for actions residents can take to reduce these types of consumption?

Here are some tips on how to save electricity, ranked from beginner to advanced. Also, check out this student-made film on ways to save: The Phantom Hunter from Humboldt State University

Beginner

Lights

• Open your shades for natural light when you are indoors (particularly in your room)
• Turn off lights when you leave ANY room (e.g. bathroom, the shower, common rooms and classrooms). Even if leaving for a very short time it saves energy to switch it off. It is also NOT true that leaving fluorescent lights on saves energy!

Appliances

• Turn off ALL appliances (e.g. game consoles, stereos, printers) when not in use.
• Unless you are handicapped, do not use automatic handicap doors.
• Clean the dryer filter before and after each use to improve air circulation and drying if you must use the clothes dryer.

Computers

• Activate your computer's power management options.
• Set your computer monitor to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity. Screen savers do not save energy but sleep settings do.
• Turn off computers & monitors when not in use for an hour or more. Turn off computer monitors if just going out for a short time

Intermediate

Lights

• Turn off decorative lighting.
• Study with friends to reduce the number of rooms with lights on
• Study outside, in the library, or other public spaces
• Replace bulbs with lower-watt bulbs Compact fluorescent lights use 75% less energy than incandescent lights.
• Don't use Halogen lamps. One Halogen lamp stand draws more power than the average computer! Plus, they are a major fire hazard, and are not allowed in Champlain College residence halls.

Appliances

• Unplug appliances that are not being used or turn off the power strip or surge protector. Most appliances (e.g. TVs, DVD players, stereos, microwaves, cell phone chargers) consume energy even when switched off. As much as 10% of energy use for appliances is consumed in these "vampire" energy charges when appliances are off or after it has been fully charged.
• Share a fridge with your roommate or friends and unplug yours.

Computers

• If possible, use ink-jet printers since they consume 95% less energy than laser printers.
• When you can, use laptops, since they use 90% less energy than desktop computers.

Advanced

Lights

• Keep the lights off in your room constantly and study or hang out outside during the day, in the hall where the lights must stay on, or in public spaces.

Appliances

• Don't turn on the TV or video games. Read a book or hang out with friends instead.
• Share a clock with your roommate.
• Combine laundry loads with friends so that you only do full loads.
• Air dry your laundry using a drying rack in your room.
• Give up the personal fridge.
• Air dry your hair rather than blow dry.

Computers

• Laptops use 90% less energy than desktops - if you don't have access to one, borrow a friend's.

Adapted from University of New Hampshire's Tip list.