Leila is a student and renter.
She lives in Woolloongabba, in inner city Brisbane just 2.5km from the CBD. Living in a share house, Leila worries about the most equitable way to split bills amongst her friends when only 4 out of 5 them have an air conditioner in their room. Avoiding aircon usage to save money on the household’s power bills and avoid the guilt that comes with having access to an aircon when one house mate doesn’t, leads Leila to waiting until her room feels like a sauna before turning it on.
“As a Woolloongabba local for the past three years, I consider myself lucky to be able to afford renting in one of Brisbane’s inner-city suburbs with my friends. While I understand these developed areas often lack trees, I fail to understand why living the inner-city residential lifestyle means sacrificing tree cover and shade. High-density or medium-density suburbs should prioritise green spaces, trees, and nature strips for their environmental and, less importantly, aesthetic benefits.”
“But living as a renter has its own share of problems. I live in a house with five other friends, and while we share a strong and trusting bond, uneasy feelings tend to arise over the summer time as only four of us have air conditioning systems in our rooms. We make the effort to split any costs as equitably as we can, but usually water, electricity, and internet bills are split evenly and equally between the house. This is a decision we have made as we believe it is the easiest way for us.”
“However, I often find myself avoiding using the air conditioning as much as possible, or waiting until the heat is close to unbearable, because some of us don’t have the choice, and I feel guilty knowing when we split the electricity bills, they might be paying for some of my use. I have a north facing window in my bedroom, and the roofing below reflects bright sunlight into my bedroom for the better part of the day, heating up the room.”
“I leave my window and door open hoping for any cross-ventilation to cool it down, but in those stifling and still days where there is no breeze, the room easily turns into a sauna.”
“I very clearly understand my position of luck and privilege in knowing I live in a convenient, accessible, and modern home. There are many renters out there in much worse situations than I, and my story merely serves to illustrate how uncomfortable situations can be a lot more common, and a lot more pressing. In my home, half of us are students, and currently only two others work full time. I feel guilty feeling like I am ‘using up’ more resources than I consciously should – and I would guess many other students and renters often have similar feelings of being mindful of others in shared living situations.”
Thank you Leila for sharing your Summer Story with us!
