How to 'winter-proof' your student house

I don’t know about you but there have been countless times that I have walked back from campus in the pouring rain, books clutched in my arms, and then feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction upon reaching home.

Knowing that I am now inside the nice, warm and most of all dry fortress I call my house is one of life’s simplest pleasures.

But what happens when this fortress is always so cold?! Unfortunately, there will be problems with student housing in every city. Fortunately, there are people you can go to at the University of Southampton for help when you reach a point when you can no longer take indoor arctic conditions.

Every year, around March and April, a Sustainability fair is held on campus to promote green living in the student population.

 

Maxime working the Sustainability Fair.

I spoke to Maxime Jullian who works with SUSU’s Ethics and Environmental Officer about what their Home Energy Advice Team (HEAT) does to help students warm up their houses and save some much needed funds. With an apt acronym, the HEAT team is entirely student led. They have been sponsored by big names such as EON and are run by the charity called Southampton Hub.

HEAT audit student houses for energy consumption and give insulation all for FREE. The committee are also very keen to get volunteers so get in touch if you want some sustainability experience on your CV! 

The Ethics and Environment team encourage SUSU to operate in a socially responsible and environmentally friendly way. They educate students and staff on relevant issues and campaigns and are responsible for representing the interests of Union members in the development of ethical and environmentally sound working practices and empowering members to take action to achieve this, both with regard to SUSU and the University.

The Home Energy Advice Team are looking to do as many student home visits as much as they can before Christmas break to save students up to £500+ a year (depending on the size of property, i.e. number of bedrooms). They provide the basic and removable material so there is no need for you to involve your letting agencies or landlords as everything can be removed when you move out at the end of the year.

So, what materials do HEAT provide?

Some landlords don’t care about how warm you are. Most of the time, their main priority is to get rent. It is up to you to heat up your new student home. Indeed, a lot of student house windows aren’t double glazed and thus become unbearably cold during the winter.

HEAT provides:

Reflective radiator panels. This is especially effective if your radiator is stuck to a wall facing the outside. It sticks to the wall using double sided sticky take so it is easily taken off and moved to your new student house the year after. All heat that stays at the back of radiator gets reflected back into the room as opposed to “seeping” outside.

Here’s to a nice and toasty home…(photo courtesy of the HEAT Facebook page)

Seasonal double glazing films. This is especially beneficial if you have single glazed windows. The film essentially provides another layer to you windows to prevent heat loss. As stated by the name, the films only last one season. After a year it un-sticks and is not as effective but the good thing about it is that because it isn’t permanent, it won’t damage the property one bit.

Energy saving light bulbs. These use less energy, are more efficient. An energy-saving recommended light bulb will cost you £3-£4 compared to about 50p for a normal bulb, but will put money back into your pocket by saving you around £9 on your annual electricity bill and up to £100 over its lifetime!

Draft proofing tape. This tape sticks onto doors. Like the letter box covers, these little sponges pretty much close the gaps that let draught in.

Who knew how much money you could save per year just by covering these gaps? (photos courtesy of the HEAT Facebook page)

Maxime is a third-year BSc Oceanography student who plans to work with businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and save energy. Coming from a Natural Sciences background, this is something he’s always been interested in, and the University has aided him with his sustainability work experience. If you’re ambitious, there are plenty of opportunities SUSU and its staff can provide for you – for example, Maxime is part of the Business, Ethics and Environment Programme (BEES).

I think all this talk about saving energy gives rise to the massive issue of climate change. The University is doing incredible research on sustainability science and fellow student blogger Emma has written about the recycling projects the University has undertaken.

Unfortunately most of us don’t see the effects of climate change first hand. Most of the changes are so variable and so incremental that a debate even exists on whether or not climate change is true!
But this is the truth: we don’t often make the link between turning off a tap and wars around the world. That’s because most of the negative effects of climate change are experienced by the global south – by poor and, mostly, developing countries.

Sustainability is a pertinent issue. I’m glad the University is investing a lot of mind power and funds into it!

Don’t forget to get in touch with the HEAT team if you are looking forward to going home to a nice, warm house. After all, 'Winter is coming'.

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist…!)

Rylyn

Searching for private accommodation

In July I made the decision to move to the Big Smoke.

Granted, my move from Southampton to London is only a temporary necessity for an internship. An everyday commute to the capital would’ve been impractical and I’ve found myself settling in just fine in my double life as a metropolitan woman.

So today I thought I could tell you about my experience as a Southampton student looking for private accommodation in both cities. The comparison may be helpful for you one day!

Obligatory Big Ben photo 

Finding a room in London

The first step was a room search. I found my London room through a free house search website. The website allowed me to post an advert of myself which meant landlords were able to contact me themselves. This was probably a more efficient way of letting people know I was looking for a place – landlords are always looking to fill spare rooms. I went to about six or seven viewings and most rooms were decent sized with utility bills included in the rent. I was even able to customise my search based on my maximum budget and other preferences - look out for the ‘advanced search’ option when you go on these websites to do this!

For students with internships, house shares tend to be the cheapest way of getting accommodation. However there are other types of accommodation too; from bedsits to studios or one bedroom flats. It goes without saying that you must always go with someone you trust to these viewings or meet with whoever is showing you the place at a public area.

I was fortunate enough to find a room fairly quickly. The problem was that I was also unfortunate enough to get a room that suddenly became unavailable three days before the big move! That was pretty devastating. If, like myself, you get some work experience in the city and become unlucky in your accommodation search, there is never any harm in speaking to your manager about starting after you’ve secured yourself somewhere to live. The most important thing is that you find a place that is safe, comfortable, and within your budget.

The University has some valuable tips for those looking for private accommodation, wherever it is you're moving to. Looking through them really did help so you may want to check it out!

Monday morning motivation - courtesy of Transport for London! 

What to pack? 

The most challenging thing about the move was traveling with all of my things. I had to travel via coach so I stuck to the bare minimum. So I packed my clothes and shoes for work, pots and pans, a pillow and my alarm clock. I was surprised I managed it myself!

My entire life packed into two suitcases.

How different is the search for accommodation in London compared to Southampton? 

The University has plenty of advice outlets for students who need help in their search for accommodation in Southampton. The Students' Union also have a Housing Advice team to support you.

Southampton even has SASSH – a university-accredited student accommodation search engine. Made in collaboration with Southampton Solent University and Southampton City Council, it lets you search for student houses, flats and lodgings in Southampton. You can get in touch with the landlords themselves if you prefer not to go through an estate agent. It even lets you search for rooms in other towns and cities.

My student house in Southampton for this year, found through the SASSH website. 

A similarity between the two cities is that a deposit will almost always be required whenever you move into a new place. It is a good idea to sign a tenancy agreement between you and your landlord or whoever is letting you the room before you hand over any money to them.

It is a universal truth that moving homes is quite possibly one of the most stressful things we have to go through at one point in our lives… but this needn’t be the case! If you plan in advance and go to some viewings you are guaranteed to find yourself a nice place to live in regardless of what city you may find yourself in one day.

Stay safe and best of luck in your search!

Rylyn