We all have to pay utility bills which cover things like water and electricity. For some people this is included in their rent but others have to pay it separately. You may think that if it is included then there is no point in doing anything, but if you can use less, then this could mean the landlord will not have to hike up the rent so much to cover that cost. It can feel unfair that you are trying to do things and others might not be bit you could always talk to others in the apartment building about it.
Perhaps leave some posters in communal spaces with suggestions on as to how they could reduce their usage. There will always be some people that do not want to change, but if at least some people do it then it will help.
Change suppliers
Changing to a different supplier can help to save you money. If you see who is available then you will be able to compare how much they charge and see whether you can save money by switching to a different company. This can seem complicated but it does not have to be if you work through it in a methodical way.
Turn down heating/cooling
If you use heating and/or cooling then this will be a big expense. It can make a huge difference to how comfortable you are but if you can use it less, you will save money. You might be able to do things so that you can put it on less often or turn it down a bit by adjusting what you are wearing. You may be able to get used to it being a bit cooler or warmer if you change the settings. It might be that you can close curtains or open windows to change the temperature which might save you using it so often. It is worth trying small things so that you can see if they make any difference.
Turn things off when not in use
Turning all things off when they are not being use dis a good habit to get into. This can be anything form lights to computers, chargers to televisions. Although each thing will not make that much difference on its own, if you do it with all things and regularly those little bits will add up and make a difference. Some items use considerably more electricity than others and so finding out how much your different items use could help you to select the ones that use the most to pay most attention to.
Use solar power
If you do not have solar panels then you may think this is a rather odd suggestion. If you own a house then you could pay to have them installed but this will be very expensive. However, even if you do not, you could use solar panels for some things. There are batteries that you can charge using solar panels which you can use to run a cell phone, for example. Even if you do not have a garden putting them on a balcony, patio or even window sill could be enough to charge them up and provide you with some free energy. You may also benefit form buying solar powered lights for your garden or yard, if you have one or things like that. It is worth looking into things like this as they could help out with the electricity costs.
Reduce water usage
It might be that it is the water bills that are expensive. If you are metered and have to pay for all of the water that you use, then reducing how much you use could make a big difference. There are a few obvious things that you can do such as having showers rather than baths, watering the garden with washing up water or having plants that do not need much water. There are other smaller things you can do as well such as making sure dripping taps are fixed and not running the water when brushing teeth etc.
It can also be worth doing research online for tips on reducing your utility bills. You will be able to find all sorts of hints and tips and some of them may be quite obscure and just work for you. It can be worth doing all sorts of different things though. Utility bills can be one of the most expensive bills that we pay so finding ways to reduce them can make a big difference to the amount of money we have available for other things. Some people even consider getting a loan to pay for these bills and so it is really worth trying to keep them as low as you can so that you can afford them without doing that.
