Electricity Conservation Tips
Here are some tips on how you can reduce your electricity footprint room by room in your NYU dorm!
The greatest tip, however, is simply to use less. Every time you turn something that uses electricity on, that energy comes from somewhere and has negative effects on the environment. The best way to reduce your footprint is to use only what you really need for the shortest time possible.
Good luck Unplugging!
In Every Room:
- Turn off your lights when you leave the room, even if it’s only for a short period of time.
- Unplug everything you can when it’s not in use
In the bathroom:
What you can do:
- Take fewer and shorter showers, with cooler water: water heating accounts for 16% of the average NYC household’s electricity consumption
- Coordinate shower timing with roommate/suite-mate – one shower in the morning and one shower in the evening so the water heater does not need to draw more power than it would otherwise.
- Air dry your hair: blowdryers are some of the most energy-intensive appliances you’re likely to use.
- Use handheld razors and toothbrushes instead of electric ones.
How much you use:
- Hair-dryer: 1875 Watts
- Hair straightener: 35-75 Watts
- Curling Iron: 100 Watts
- Electric razor: 50 Watts
- Electric toothbrush: 7 Watts
In the Kitchen
What you can do:
- If you have a dishwasher, only run full loads. If you do dishes by hand, make sure to only turn on the hot water when you need it.
- Keep your fridge filled. It’s actually more efficient, and wastes less energy on cooling dead air.
- Minimize the amount of time that the fridge door is open.
- Make sure to only heat as much hot water as you’re going to use when cooking.
- Cool any cooked leftovers to room temperature before placing them in the fridge.
How much you use:
- Electric Oven: 1500-2400 watts
- Electric Stove: 1000-1500 watts
- Coffee-maker: 900-1200 watts
- Toaster: 800-1400 watts
- Microwave: 750-1100 watts
- Blender: 600 watts
In the bedroom/living room
What you can do:
- Switch all your incandescent bulbs with CFLs – they’re 5 times more efficient, and last 10 times as long.
- Turn your computer off instead of putting it on standby.
- Use computer labs instead of your own computer to share resources.
- Study in the library or with friends
- Connect your appliances to a power strip, and unplug them when they’re not in use. 5% of domestic energy consumption comes from so-called “vampire power”
- Use natural light instead of overhead lights whenever you can.
- If it’s cold in your room, put on more layers before turning the heat up.
- If it’s hot out, close the blinds when you’re not in your room during the day to keep it cool.
- Use a fan to avoid turning on air conditioning.
- If you’re not in control of your room’s heat or A/C and it’s an uncomfortable temperature, call NYU’s facilities hotline at: 212.998.1001
How much you use:
- Air Conditioning: 2000 watts
- Standard (incandescent) light bulb: 60-100 watts
- Compact fluorescent light bulb: 13-20 watts
- Stereo: 20 watts
- Cell phone charger: 1 watt
- Laptop charger: 60 Watt
- Phone: 5 watts
- Printer: 100 watts
- Fan: 50 watts
- Iron: 1000-1800
- TV: 40-150 Watt (3-5 when off but still plugged in)
- Video game box: 10 Watt (1 when off)
- DVD player: 20-25 Watt (2 to 7 when off)
Outside of your room:
What you can do:
- Only do full loads of laundry – make the water and energy go as far as possible.
- 80-90 percent of the energy that goes into washing a load of laundry in hot water is used to heat the water. Try washing in warm or cold water!
- Try air-drying your clothes. Put a drying rack next to your heater or, on a sunny day, in front of the window.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator – especially if you’re only going a few flights.
For more ideas, check out these resources: