Many students will be leaving for home for a while, and it is important to remember to turn off all power consumption while away.
As Fall changes into winter, with Thanksgiving and Winter break both just ahead, many students here at Millersville University will be leaving their dorm rooms and heading home for the holidays with these extended breaks. During these times, amidst all of the final projects, studying and preparation for finals, saying goodbye to friends, packing up, and all of the other things that come with the end of the fall semester, it may slip the minds of any number of these overwhelmed students to make sure that they have fully remembered to cut off all of the energy consumption of their rooms they will be leaving for a while.
During this time, it can be said that for sure those in charge of the buildings and in charge of the residents of the floors could and should be constantly reminding everyone what is important to do before break in this regard with meetings and posters hung up on all of the bulletin boards, but to the students, they may see these attempts as nagging them that they have yet another thing to do in the small time frame they have before they leave, and neglect to do their responsibility of limiting the waste of energy, and they may either choose to ignore these warnings or even just end up forgetting. “The NRDC reports that this wasted energy adds up to around the amount of electricity that’s produced by 50 large (500-megawatt) power plants – every year. That’s an alarming statistic” (Inspire, 2021)
It can be easy to forget to unplug any television set or personal computer setup that students aren’t bringing home for break, and are being left in the dorms. Another thing that might be forgotten is to turn off and unplug the desk fan that is easy to forget is even there. Or on your last runthrough of the place the bathroom is left unchecked and the bathroom fan or shower light remains turned on for six weeks straight.
Refrigerators and microwaves may be chosen to leave plugged in for convenience, rather than having been forgotten, but this doesn’t make it much better. Especially because of the fact that nobody will be there to benefit from having either of them in use. It might be inconvenient to empty out all of their contents, and to shut them off, but in the end it is very important to do so, that energy isn’t being wasted all season.
“The Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that an appliance that constantly draws one watt of electricity can cost up to $1 per year, and since many energy vampires use more electricity than that, annual costs can add up to $100 to $200 in the average home” (Crank 2018). Now imagine this amount multiplied by every single student in the dormitories. You must take action to prevent yourself from adding up to the numbers of wasted energy.
Once again, this is a very busy time for students and faculty alike here at Millersville University, and another environmental PSA is something that many probably don’t care to hear about during all of the stress. However, aside from exams and projects this is also a very important matter, so as you are packing up for break, remember this article and if you need any help on what to do, you can look to your resident assistants for a checklist of things that need to be done before you leave. You can enjoy your break knowing that you are helping out your school and the environment by being energy efficient.
Crank J. 2018. Direct Energy. Should You Unplug Appliances To Save Electricity? https://blog.directenergy.com/should-you-unplug-appliances-when-not-in-use/
N.A. 2021. Inspire. Does Unplugging Appliances Save Electricity? https://www.inspirecleanenergy.com/blog/sustainable-living/does-unplugging-appliances-save-electricity
Millersville University Break Checklist
Before leaving Campus for Break, make sure you have all of these things done.
- Turn off any and all lights in your dorm.
- Unplug and empty out any microwave or refrigerator or any other such appliances.
- Unplug all electrical appliances and devices, including computers, television sets, hair dryers, curling irons/straighteners, holiday lights, etc.
- Give one last run through to make sure you have nothing turned on or plugged in before you leave.
Benefits to Cutting Off Energy Consumption
In unplugging appliances and energy waste proofing your room, you are not only helping and being kind to the environment, but you are also helping out and being kind to your own possessions. This practice can and will help lengthen the lifespans of your appliances. Plus, your devices are protected from a potentially dangerous unexpected power surge. Keeping these appliances and devices dormant and unplugged will significantly help prevent unneeded and unnecessary wear and tear on the electronics and the wiring of them all.
Student Thoughts
I talked to a student living in the dorms here at Millersville University, and he told me that in the past over breaks he hasn’t always paid the most thoughts and mind to what he was responsible for doing. He told me that he did the basic stuff that was instructed to him over email, such as unplugging his computer, and turning off the lights in his room. But that was as far as he went. He had a fan in his room that he did not only unplug, but had left on for the entire break. The fan was blowing air on nobody and nothing for such an extended period of time, and also he did no unplug his refrigerator. I shared and explained with him what he should do instead and why, and he agreed to take the proper procedures this time around.
Housing Directors
There are many people in charge of the residence halls that many students live in during their time at Millersville University. They range from the RA’s of each individual floor of each building, all the way up to the head director themselves. If you are a resident of one of the dorm buildings the RA’s do a very good job of making themselves known and available, if you have any questions that can be answered by them. If you have a question for someone higher up, they are very easy to find on the people searcher on https://www.millersville.edu/ Just search by those in charge of housing and you can find out their names, office locations, phone number, and email address.