If you are renting an apartment or house off-campus instead of living in a dorm, you likely have to pay your own utilities. This may seem like an added expense, but renting is still less expensive than living in the dorms in most cases. Be sure to check your lease to see if utilities are included or not. Knowing how much you need to have in addition to your monthly rent can help you plan ahead so you are not caught off guard by the additional cost. You may even be able to reduce utility costs with a few simple tricks!

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Not covered by many scholarships

You may receive scholarships, either through your school or through other means. These can often be applied to dorms, but in most cases, they cannot be applied to rent and utilities should you choose to rent. Keep this in mind when you are factoring in costs and income for the semester. You will need to find other funding besides the scholarships to help pay for utilities for your apartment.

Utilities you need

What utilities you absolutely need depends on your lifestyle and location. You likely need electricity, air conditioning, heat, cooking gas, internet, and renter’s insurance. You may be responsible for paying for your water as well. Even if your landlord does not require renter’s insurance, it is a good rule of thumb to have it to help save money in the future should you need to use it. Cable is optional, especially with streaming platforms on the rise and high-definition televisions allowing access to these platforms using Wi-Fi. Of course, you will need Wi-Fi to get your assignments and studying done from home.

How much you will spend

How much you spend on utilities depends on your location, lifestyle, and living situation. If you live with roommates, you will likely spend about 20% of your rent if you live alone or about 10% of your rent if you live with roommates. This is true if you skip the cost of cable. This is just an estimate as your utility costs are determined by how much your companies charge, your location, and your usage.

Ways to reduce costs

As mentioned above, the cost of your utilities is determined by how you use them most, and you are somewhat in control of this. There are some easy adjustments you can make in your space to make sure you are not wasting money by making mistakes that can be fixed. Avoid covering air ducts with things like furniture, rugs, and other things. Your heat and air need to be able to flow freely. If something is covering the air ducts, this leads to more air being used, and, as a result, your utility costs will increase.

Also, turn your lights off when you leave a room. Avoid leaving lights on in your apartment when you and your roommates are out. The more electricity you use, the higher the cost will be. Use energy-efficient items such as lightbulbs, and check with your landlord to see if you can use energy-efficient faucets.

To save money on water, make an effort to take showers instead of baths, and if you already do that, try to take shorter showers. Turn the water off when you brush your teeth and limit the amount you rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Only run dishwashers and washing machines when you have a full load.

Control your apartment’s temperature by changing the temperature to what you need at a given time instead of leaving it the same all the time. This is especially true if you and your roommates are not home. Limit TV time by catching up on your favorite streaming on your laptop instead of on your TV. Limit how much time you use your TV as background noise, especially if you tend to like falling asleep to sound. If you need to fall asleep to sound using your TV, set a timer on your TV to turn off within a certain amount of time so you do not leave it on all night.

Know how to pay

It is likely that you have to pay your utilities separately from your rent, so you will be paying the utility companies directly. Check with your property manager about what company options you have and who you need to be in contact with. See if you can set up online accounts and pay online, or if you will need to pay with checks each month. This will help you be prepared so you can pay on time and have full access to your utilities. There is nothing worse than losing utilities, even for a few days, because payments were late or missing due to not knowing how to pay.

Paying for utilities is a necessary evil when you rent a property off-campus, but having the necessary knowledge can help ensure that you are prepared and can even help reduce your utility costs overall.