Ask Focus on Energy

Focus has tips to keep your apartment energy efficient in the winter.

Heating your apartment or condo is your biggest energy cost during the winter. Paying attention to a few details will help you manage those costs—and be more comfortable. I’ve listed a few tips below, but Focus on Energy Apartment & Condo Efficiency Services also has a fact sheet on ways to reduce energy costs in the winter that you can reference.

• If your apartment is too hot, don’t just open a window—work with your landlord to solve the problem. Helping your landlord save on heating will also save you money. Remember, you pay for your heat either directly or through your rent.
• Control the temperature and humidity. Use a programmable thermostat to use less energy without sacrificing comfort. The temperature at which you set the thermostat affects how much it costs to heat your apartment or condo. During the winter lowering the temperature 3°F to 5°F can save you up to 20% on heating costs.
• If you have baseboard heat, turn down the units in unused rooms. And remember the thermostat is not like the gas pedal on your car—turning it to the highest (or even to a higher) setting does not warm you up any faster.
• During the winter you’ll feel warmer if the air in your home is not too dry. Maintaining the relative humidity between 20% and 40% will allow you to lower the thermostat setting without making you feel cold.
• Use a standard meat thermometer to test the water temperature at your kitchen sink. If it is higher than 120°F, you are spending more than you need to for hot water. Water that is hotter than 120°F poses a burn hazard, especially to children and older people. If you have access to your water heater, lower the temperature setting, or have your landlord do it.
• Have the landlord fix leaky or dripping water faucets - a leak of one drop a second on a hot water faucet can waste as much as 48 gallons of hot water every week.
• Install a low-flow showerhead if yours uses more than 2.5 gallons per minute.

Published Sunday, April 19, 2009