How much energy are you using?

The hallways of campus residence halls, welcoming and warm, light up the night as students come home after dark. They also suck up a constant flow of energy, day and night. Students enjoy all the comforts of home with no monthly utility bill when they live on campus - hot water, endless electricity, and the saving grace of a student's first Spokane winter, unlimited heating. But the environment takes a hard hit. And when students move out of the dorms and into the Logan Neighborhood, do those habits follow them? Senior Ali Messer lives on Nora Avenue. She said she and her housemates changed some habits after they received their first heating bill this winter. "We sat down to talk before we turned on the heater," she said. "Once we turned it on, we made a heating schedule." The switch from cozy dorm room to chilly communal house might shock some students, but their energy bill doesn't have to. A recent study by the Energy Information Administration suggests that energy use can easily be reduced by at least 25 percent if homeowners make some simple changes, such as unplugging appliances when they are not in use. Living off campus has been an energy wake-up call for Messer, she said. She's cut back on luxuries such as long, hot showers and using the clothes dryer for every load. "Honestly, we were thinking about the cost, not the environment," she said. Whether the concern is money or the environment, the bottom line is the same: Americans have to cut back on energy consumption, or the energy sources will run out. Even when household items are turned off or powered down, the adapter plugs still use power - sometimes as much as the appliances themselves. In the U.S., a refrigerator emits 1,191 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Electric water heater: 3,586. Central air conditioning: 4,067. So what can students do to make some small changes - for the sake of their bank account and the planet? Students on campus don't always have the ability to turn off the lobby lights or turn down the heat, but they can still make some adjustments to save energy. Senior Andrew Carrell and his roommates in Kennedy Apartments avoid using the central heating and AC in their living room, opting instead to open the windows or to turn the heat on only in the bedrooms, he said. "Having friends live off campus has made me more aware of how much water and heat we do use," he said. "It's made me more thankful, but more aware." Messer and her housemates bought some window covers to improve insulation on their older, single-paned windows. They turn the lights off when they leave a room, and use a hanging rack and ceiling fans when they can. "Our bill gives us a good gauge of how much we'll need to change our habits," she said. Ken Sammons, director of plant services, said the school doesn't keep an electrical meter or a water meter for each residence hall on campus, but takes measurements for water, gas and electrical use from a master meter that tracks all campus buildings. We know that saving energy is necessary, more now than ever. So what are we waiting for? By consciously making small changes, students can cut back on energy use on and off campus - it's as easy as flicking off a light switch. How to Keep Warm When It's Cold: Layer clothing. Dig out those baggy jeans and put some long underwear on underneath. Keep the oven door open after baking or cooking. All that warmth has to go somewhere. Pull the blinds or curtains closed to keep the chill out. Use blankets and slippers, not just the heater. Put your clothes on as they come out of the dryer. Stuff a rolled towel under drafty doors to keep the heat in. Ride a bike or walk to class - you'll probably be warmer than the interior of your car. Drink some hot tea. Do some jumping jacks in the living room. How to Keep Cool When It's Hot: Layer clothing. Take off outer layers as it warms up. Make your own swamp cooler. Place a bowl of ice in front of an electric fan instead of cranking the AC. Open the windows for a cross breeze. Take the extra blanket off the bed. Pull the blinds or curtains closed on the west side of the house to keep the setting sun out. Stay inside, and stay low - heat rises. Replace your regular light bulbs with compact fluorescents - they emit a fifth of the heat. Lower the thermostat on your water heater

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