Besides the obvious energy saving tactics, are there any other ways to keep your bills down while you’re a student?
One lesser-known option is to have lots of housemates. A house in Birmingham with three tenants will see each housemate pay on average £58.50 per month for their gas, electricity and water. Compare that to a house with eight tenants, who will pay just £38.22 each per month on average.
The same is true of telephone, broadband and TV licence costs. A house with three tenants will see each one pay £18.33 per month month, whereas a house with eight tenants will see each tenant pay just £6.85 per month.
Prospective students and those thinking about postgraduate study may also want to consider where they choose to go to university, as the cost of utilities varies from place to place. For example, water bills in Plymouth are roughly three times more expensive on average than water bills in Nottingham.
If you’re looking to keep bills to a minimum then be warned, average costs are just that. If you use more than the average household, then your bills will be higher than the average. The converse is also true, so if you’re signed up to Glide and you use less than the equivalent of your monthly payments you will get money back at the end of your tenancy.
There is one last thing for students looking to save money on their bills to watch out for. Some utility firms offer very low introductory prices to attract new customers before sending them hefty bills at the end of the year, so make sure you read the small print.