How to Reduce Your Apartment Heating Bills

When you decide to rent an apartment, you have to be aware that your rent payment might not be your only expense. Depending upon the terms of the lease, you might gets separate bills for your electricity usage and heat. If you live in a colder part of the country, your heating bill could be a concern.

During the coldest of the winter months, your heating bill obligations can start to take a good chunk of your monthly income, making your apartment living seem a bit unreasonable. Since ever year comes with winter, don't be so surprised. Instead, plan ahead and make your heating bills more manageable.

You can save up during the months without large bills or, if you like consistency, you can consider working with the utility to give you uniform pricing year round. Some call it the budget plan or budget billing. But that's not the point of this article. What I want to offer today are some tips to help you keep the heating bills as low as you you possibly can.

1) Turn Down The Thermostat

This is pretty basic, but you would be surprised how many people miss this one. A few degrees can be big savings.

Learn to adjust your thermostat and, if it's programmable, set a schedule that works for you. You want to set it so that the heat is turned up to a comfortable level only when you are at home enjoying the warmth. When you are gone or in bed, you ought to be able to set it 10 degrees lower.

2) Search For Potential Leaks

Warm air moving out and cold air coming in are big concerns when it comes to managing your apartment heating bills.

Be aware of small gaps around windows, or maybe even a big gap around or under a door where the flows freely. Do you have a vent for your clothes dryer, that's another place that might not be sealed well. Focus on these things, and any other points that transition from inside to outside.

If a breeze is blowing through, it's going to have a chilling impact on your rooms. This means your heat will run more often than you would like. Since that's going to cost you money, you don't want this to happen. Fix these issues. You will pay less on your heating bills and feel more comfortable at the same time.

3) Wear Warmer Clothing

Maybe you like wearing shorts while lounging in your apartment. Sure it's comfortable, but it's costing you big time. Bundle up a little. Get warmer loungewear and pajamas. Put on heavier socks. Get into sweaters or sweatshirts. These steps will help you feel warmer any time you are in your apartment. So doing this might let you lower your thermostat another degree or two, saving you more money.

Small changes in what you wear around your apartment can make a big difference in how you feel and how much you pay.

4) Take Advantage of Natural Heat Sources

If it is sunny outside, you might not require as much heat during the day. Any sun streaming through the windows will help warm a room as long as the curtains or blinds are out of the way. Letting that natural light in brings warmth with it, raising the room temperature and reducing the need to use extra heat. It's possible, on some of the sunny winter days, that you can get enough solar heating through windows that the heat doesn't run at all during the day.

I hope you can take advantage of these tips and save some money on your apartment heating bills this winter.