Tips

Energy and water conservation is extremely important, not only at home, but also here on campus. As students of Providence College, we must all work together as a community to make the effort to conserve electricity, heat, and water whenever possible.

Conserving energy and water is very easy to do. All it takes are a few small, simple changes to habits or daily routines.  Please view the tips below on how to conserve.

Students in Traditional Dorms

  • Take shorter, cooler showers
  • If your building is incredibly warm, let an RA or Fixit know!
  • Unplug your microwave and chargers for electronics when not in use
  • Utilize your surge protectors/power strips- if you’re not using the electronics that are plugged into it, switch it off. If you’re only using some of the electronics, unplug those that are not in use
  • Don’t keep your refrigerator in max cool- turn it down as much as possible
  • Turn off lights, tv, etc. when not in use, and try to take advantage of natural light during the day
  • Report leaks in bathrooms
  • Unplug cell phone chargers
  • Close all windows and blinds/pull down shades
  • Turn your heat down or off when possible

Students in On-Campus Apartments/Suites

  • Only run your dishwasher when completely full- wash big pots/pans by hand to fit more room for smaller dishes
  • Utilize power strips-switch off when not in use
  • Turn off lights that aren’t in use
  • Unplug appliances when not in use- microwaves, toaster ovens, coffee maker, blender, etc.
  • Notice when your oven is done preheating and when water on the stove is boiling so that your stove/oven doesn’t have to be on longer than necessary
  • Take short, cooler showers
  • Turn your heat down at night or during the day if no one is home
  • Unplug cell phone chargers when not in use
  • Close all windows and blinds/pull down shades
  • Turn your heat down or off when possible.

Off-Campus Students

  • Turn off all lights when not in use, including the basement
  • Keep heat down- put on a sweatshirt instead!
  • Watch TV together, rather than turning on multiple TV’s throughout the house
  • Unplug appliances and electronics/electronic chargers when not in use
  • Report leaks to your landlord
  • Get a timer for your lights- this will allow your house to appear to be occupied which is safer, but does not mean you have to keep your lights on during the entire break
  • Take shorter, cooler showers
  • Don’t leave water running while washing pots/pans
  • Turn your heat down over break- but no lower than 55? to keep pipes from freezing

Additional Tips for Students:

  1. Refrigerators: these will use up a lot of energy on their own, but if you choose to have one check to make sure it is always closed tight so you won’t let any cool air out, and waste energy. Also, purchase energy star products that conserve more.
  2. Water Bottles: students buy copious amounts of water bottles every week but the reality is that tap water is more rigorously tested than bottled. In a year, Americans can spend over 17 million barrels worth of oil to produce bottled water! Buy a BRITA and a reusable bottle so you can fill it and take anywhere.
  3. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle: If you have friends that graduated, or aren’t using things you may need for college, buy or reuse their products such as printers, desk chairs, T.V.’s,  toasters, microwaves etc. instead of buying new.
  4. Utensils: buying paper plates and plastic cutlery all the time becomes wasteful. Instead, buy a few sets of bowls, plates, and utensils that you can have, wash and use again.
  5. Lights & Power: Turning your desk and overhead lights off when you leave saves a lot of energy. Power strips use energy even when they are simply plugged in, so unplug strips to turn off lights and electronics.
  6. Recycling Containers: make it easy to recycle in your room by getting separate bins for your trash, bottles and cans, and paper products. With proper bins you won’t be tempted to throw out your recyclables when full. Empty bins by putting the contents in the proper recycling or trash tote located in your building/dorm room.