Studio Living: 3 Tips to Conserve Energy

Studio living presents many opportunities to conserve energy and save money. It can be tempting to waste money in this area, since you may be paying cheaper rent than other renters in the first place. It does take work to conserve energy, but think about what you can do with all that extra cash in your pocket. Follow these 3 tips and stop paying one dime more than you absolutely need to the electric company:

1. Use One Light at a Time

Only turn on the lights in one room, or section, at a time. This should be more than easy in a studio living situation. If you’re not in the “room” or section of the studio where you need to see directly, don’t leave the lights on. This is not a radical idea, but it’s so obvious that it gets ignored. When the lights are on electricity is being generated, and the electric company charges you by the minute. Why do so many renters forget this point? They don’t, but it takes effort to go back and shut off lights. Renters also like to see their surroundings, and when you’re living in a studio, it might be unsettling to you to have one end of the studio darkened. A night light or battery powered lamp would be better, if you must have something on.

2. Hand Wash Dishes

Hand washing dishes doesn’t guarantee that you’ll conserve energy, as compared to using a dishwasher. If you wash dishes by hand and just let the hot water run, then you’re wasting time and energy. However, if you know how to conserve energy while washing dishes, then there’s money to be saved in this area as well. Washing your dishes the way grandma used to do them, is the best way to conserve energy by using less water. The more hot water you let run, the more electricity you’ll use. Fill your sink with warm water and dish liquid soap and wash the dishes. If your studio has a double kitchen sink, then all the better. Fill the second one with hot water, and put the dishes you wash in it for rinsing. If you don’t have a double sink, then wait until you’re done washing, drain the water, refill it with water and rinse the dishes.

3. Use a Laptop Computer

Laptops use less energy than desktops and most televisions. Try to use your laptop more for work and entertainment. Once your laptop is “juiced up” you can operate it on its own battery for 2 1/2 to 8 hours, depending on the battery life you purchased for it. For example, rather than watching a DVD on a DVD player and television, you can conserve energy by watching that same DVD on a laptop computer. When you start thinking about ways to generate alternative energy, there are solar powered charges for laptops that can further slash your electric bill, since you wouldn’t need to use your electrical outlet to recharge the laptop.

Use every opportunity you have to conserve energy. Studio living should make it easier to do. Imagine trying to keep up with it all in a three or four bedroom apartment.