Energy Saving Tips

Understanding Your Student Energy Bills

Moving into your own student house often means dealing with gas, electricity, and water bills for the first time. The current economic climate means utilities take up a massive chunk of your maintenance loan. According to Ofgem (2025), the average household energy bill sits at £1,755 a year. Splitting this among housemates makes it more manageable, but it still represents a significant monthly outgoing.

Before you can actively lower your costs, you need to know exactly what you are paying for. Energy bills are split into two main components. The standing charge is a fixed daily amount you pay just to be connected to the grid, regardless of whether you use any energy. The unit rate is the amount you pay for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of gas or electricity you actually consume. While you cannot change the standing charge, you have total control over your unit consumption.

If you are setting up utilities for a new tenancy, always take meter readings on the day you move in. Take a clear photo of the meters and submit the numbers to your supplier immediately. This ensures you only pay for the energy you use, rather than covering the previous tenants’ usage. You can use our Bills Splitter Tool to divide the initial setup costs fairly among your housemates.

How to Reduce Heating and Electricity Costs

Heating your home is usually the most expensive part of your energy bill. However, you do not need to sit in a freezing house to save money. Small, consistent changes make a massive difference to your annual spend.

Smart Heating Habits

The most effective way to lower your gas bill is to be strategic about when and where you use your heating.

• Set your thermostat to a comfortable but efficient temperature, usually between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius.
• Use the timer function on your boiler so the heating only comes on when people are actually in the house.
• Turn off radiators in empty rooms, such as spare bedrooms or hallways.
• Keep doors closed to trap heat inside the rooms you are actively using.
• Move furniture away from radiators to allow the warm air to circulate properly around the room.

Cutting Down on Appliance Costs

Electricity costs add up quickly when multiple students use different appliances throughout the day. According to the National Union of Students (NUS) (2025), 96% of students are cutting back on their spending due to the ongoing cost of living crisis. Taking control of your appliance usage is a simple way to keep more money in your pocket.

Consider the cost of running a tumble dryer. If a standard tumble dryer uses 4.5 kWh per cycle and your electricity unit rate is 26p per kWh, each cycle costs £1.17. If your household of four runs the dryer five times a week, that is £5.85 a week, or roughly £23.40 a month. Over a nine-month academic year, you are spending over £210 just on drying clothes. By using a clothes airer in a well-ventilated room, you eliminate this cost entirely.

Practical Energy Saving Tips for the Kitchen

The kitchen is a high-energy zone. Between cooking meals, making tea, and running the washing machine, the costs accumulate fast. Implementing a few smart habits here will noticeably reduce your monthly direct debit.

First, only boil the water you actually need. Overfilling the kettle is a classic energy waster. If you are making one cup of tea, only put enough water in for one cup.

When cooking, use lids on your pots and pans. This traps the heat, allowing your food to cook faster and letting you turn the hob down to a lower setting. If you are baking or roasting, try to cook multiple items at once. Heating an entire oven for a single portion of chips is highly inefficient. Consider investing in an air fryer or a microwave for smaller meals, as these appliances heat up instantly and use a fraction of the electricity of a conventional oven.

Here is a breakdown of the estimated running costs for common kitchen appliances, based on average UK usage:

If you are looking for more ways to manage your food and kitchen expenses, check out our guide on student money for practical budgeting strategies.

Managing Bills with Housemates

Living with other people means sharing the financial burden, but it also means sharing the responsibility for keeping costs down. Disagreements over energy usage are a common source of tension in student houses. One person might want the heating on 24/7, while another prefers to wear a jumper to save money.

The best approach is to have an open conversation about bills during the first week of your tenancy. Agree on a set of ground rules for the house. Decide what temperature the thermostat should be set to, establish a schedule for the heating timer, and agree on rules for using high-energy appliances like the washing machine or tumble dryer.

To keep track of your shared expenses, you need a clear system. Many student households open a joint bank account specifically for bills, where everyone transfers their share at the start of the month. Alternatively, one person can take responsibility for paying the supplier and use an app to collect the money from everyone else.

Let us look at a practical calculation for splitting a variable energy bill. Suppose your winter gas and electricity bill comes to £240 for the month, and you live in a four-person house.

Total bill: £240

Divided by 4 tenants: £60 per person.

If one tenant was away for half the month and the house agreed they should pay less, you might split the fixed standing charges equally and divide the usage costs proportionally. However, the simplest and most common method is an equal split. You can plug your numbers into our Student Budget Calculator to see how this £60 outgoing affects your overall monthly spending limit.

If you are currently searching for your next property, always ask the letting agent for an estimate of the average utility costs. You can read more about evaluating properties in our accommodation hub.

Evaluating “Bills Included” Tenancies

Many student landlords and purpose-built student accommodations offer “bills included” rent packages. This means your gas, electricity, water, and sometimes broadband are rolled into one single monthly payment.

This option offers excellent peace of mind. You know exactly how much will leave your bank account each month, making budgeting significantly easier. You also avoid the hassle of setting up accounts with utility suppliers and chasing your housemates for their share of the bill.

However, you pay a premium for this convenience. Landlords often overestimate the cost of utilities to ensure they are not left out of pocket if energy prices rise. As a result, a bills-included package is usually more expensive than managing the utilities yourself.

If you decide to handle the utilities yourself, you have the freedom to shop around for the best tariffs. You can also use our Broadband Comparison Tool to find a cheap, reliable internet package for your house.

What to Do If You Cannot Afford Your Energy Bills

Even with strict energy saving tips in place, the high cost of living means some students will struggle to cover their utility bills. If you find yourself in this situation, do not ignore the problem. Energy debt escalates quickly, and ignoring letters from your supplier will only result in late fees and potential damage to your credit score.

Your first step is to contact your energy supplier directly. Under Ofgem rules, suppliers must work with you to agree on a payment plan that you can afford. They can review your payments, offer you a short-term payment holiday, or spread your debt over a longer period.

You should also speak to your university’s student support team. Most universities have a hardship fund designed to help students facing unexpected financial difficulties. They can provide non-repayable grants to help cover essential living costs, including energy bills and rent. You can access resources for managing your applications and finances directly through your dashboard.

If you need independent advice on managing debt, organisations like Citizens Advice offer free, confidential support. They can help you communicate with your supplier and explore all your financial options.