If you live in an apartment, you’re probably familiar with the daily routine of turning your heat down just a little bit to help save you some money on your monthly bill. Heating is one of those things that can really add up if you’re not careful with how you use it.
While you have to be careful about how much heat you’re actually using, there are some alternatives out there to turning down your heat. The New York Times has compiled a list of different ways to keep your heating bill from skyrocketing.
Even though spring is on the horizon, it’s still cool enough outside where you feel the need to turn your heat up just a little bit to be comfortable. Instead of turning your heat up, the New York Times has some suggestions. First, they say that it’s very important to seal your windows and your doors. The smallest of crack in your window or door can actually let cool air in and hot air out. If you have the smallest draft, you’re still risking an extremely high heating bill. You can easily fix these issues by slipping a draft seal underneath the bottom of your door so that nothing can come in or out. You can also plug window cracks with clay rope caulking. These are super easy and inexpensive ways to keep costs low.
The New York Times also suggests putting down area rugs throughout your home. We’ve all experienced stepping on a cold floor after waking up first thing in the morning. It’s not a fun experience and can easily be prevented. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to carpet your entire home, but a few rugs here and there will keep your feet warm and will actually add some insulation to your space. If you want to add extra insulation, put a rug pad underneath the rug!
While many people use space heaters to heat up an area, you can also use an air compressor. In fact, 80 to 90% of the electrical energy used by an air compressor is converted to heat.
Now, if you still do want to rely on your thermostat, make sure you only keep it on for a few hours at a time and keep it under 68 degrees. The Daily Evergreen suggests turning down the thermostat five degrees when you go to bed or when you plan on leaving your home for more than an hour at a time. It’s also important to make sure that you turn off your heat while you’re going on vacation. Forgetting to turn your heat off while you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time is a really easy mistake to make that will end up costing you a lot of money.
To save some money and to help keep yourself warm during the remainder of the colder season, take note of the steps above.
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