Remembering what Mom and Dad always yelled about at home might help students save money this winter.

“Maybe when they were growing up, students weren’t concerned about leaving the door open while talking to a friend,” said Bill Nicklas, director of DeKalb Building and Community Services. The time has come.

Students who have left the comfortable residence hall environment will need to follow some common-sense tips to keep their apartments and homes comfortable while keeping their utility bills manageable.

“Turn the thermostat down and turn the lights off when you are not at home,” Nicklas said.

Sixty-five degrees is a good minimum temperature between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., while it can be turned down to 60 degrees overnight, he said.

Electric heat is safer, cleaner and quieter than gas, said Jerry Stark of Commonwealth Edison. Although electricity costs a little more than gas heat, there are almost no maintenance costs, Stark said.

To make electric bills comparable to gas bills, students should keep living areas warmer, bedrooms cooler and use space heaters in some areas, he said.

A glue-on thermometer should be installed if there is baseboard heat because some indicators only show the level of heat for the unit, he said.

“Sixty-eight degrees should feel as comfortable as a forced-air system at 74 degrees,” he said.

Students can save electricity by making sure the seals on refrigerators are tight and by not opening the oven to “peek” at food, Stark said.

Also, students should check around windows and doors in case of a draft, Nicklas said. Windows can be covered with plastic as long as students can still get out in case of fire, he said.

Running hot water too long is another thing for residents to watch for, he said.

“Lather dishes and rinse them all at once,” he said. It’s also a good idea to turn off the shower after soaping up because the water heater burns energy, he said.