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ST. LOUIS (Aug. 15, 2023) – College students will soon return for the new school year and their to-do list can be daunting. In addition to bedding, cleaning supplies and cookware, students moving into a new residence will need to connect their utilities. Students and new renters can visit Ameren.com/MoveIn for easy and convenient tips to connect and manage their energy service.

For students living with roommates, only one person needs to open the account, and that person is responsible for ensuring full payment is submitted on time each month.

• A name, Social Security number, connection date and service address will be required.
• Students should plan to connect service early, so the power will be on by the time they move in.
• In addition to starting service, Ameren recommends residents engage in strategies for monitoring and managing their energy usage.

“The college lifestyle isn’t always conducive to energy savings,” said Joe Solari, vice president of Customer Experience for Ameren. “When televisions, gaming devices and lights are on in several rooms or the oven is in use for a few hours each night, an electric bill can quickly add up.”

The following tips can help keep usage under control:

• Purchase a smart power strip.
• Stay attentive – turn off any lights, electronics or game consoles that were inadvertently left on.
• Monitor television, gaming device usage and set a sleep mode at night.
• Remove computers, phones and chargers from the wall outlet once electronics are fully charged.
• Run a full dishwasher.
• Change the thermostat a few degrees, especially when no one is in the house.
• Try using smaller appliances such as microwaves, toasters and crock pots for smaller meals, instead of larger appliances like ovens and stovetops.

For more energy efficiency tips visit AmerenIllinoisSavings.com or AmerenMissouriSavings.com.

Ameren also recommends that college students moving back to campus consider the following electric safety tips in their dorms or apartments:

• Check all appliance cords and chargers for damage such as cracking or fraying before plugging them in.
• Avoid overloading power strips and outlets, and only use extension cords as a temporary solution.
• Look for power strips with over-current protectors so that the power will automatically shut off if necessary.

More electrical safety tips can be found by visiting Ameren.com/Safety. 

About Ameren Corporation
St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric transmission and distribution service and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Missouri provides electric generation, transmission and distribution service, as well as natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops, owns and operates rate-regulated regional electric transmission projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. For more information, visit Ameren.com, or follow us on Twitter at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or LinkedIn.com/company/Ameren.