Ways to save energy costs as a renter?

Question

I rent an apartment and am looking for ways to cut energy costs for my electric bill. First all of my light bulbs are cfl energy saving ones but i have a real problem with the electric heaters along the wall. i turn off the heat when i leave and it is only on in my bed room. the heat is set low around 65. i turn off everything when i leave and dont leave anything running. is there anyway to lower my electric bill. also water and sewage is paid for by my lanlord.

Answer 1

Place foil in the window  ---it repels heat in the summer, Blankets hanging as curtains help insulate (think college dorm days) also towel under door b/n the floor  keeps drafts out. Turn the heat on when you get home it will warm the place up (adjust vents if possible) then turn it off right before you go to sleep , close doors to rooms you want warmest(bedroom) to hold heat better when heating

Answer 2

Yes we are doing it.

I mow the lawn with my horse

I only eat plants and animals that died of natural causes.

Never cook I eat food raw or warmed in sun.

I drive a donkey cart to store

Wash clothes in creek by hand

dry them on rocks.

I only turn electric on for 1 hour a day.

take bath in creek or shower in rain.

Remodeling a cave to live in 50 degrees car battery for light.'

most of our clothes are hand woven out of hemp.

shoes for kids are made from leather road kill sandals and tires for bottom of shoes.

repaired old shopping cart for kids to collect empty soda cans.

Beds are old newspaper & tree Moss with hemp covering. furniture is made from logs and tree stumps.

Floor carpet is woven out of brightly colored plastic bags woven in circle.

My job is picking seed pine cones for forestry dept

Answer 3

All the answers so far are very good so i will just add.  Eventhough you turn everything off when you leave, it is also energy efficient to unplug anything electrical when you are ot using it because it will still use electricity. Also weather strip your doors it keeps your heat in and cold out.  I totally agree with the oil heaters you can but at a local retail store not only are the energy efficient they are more safe. I would recommend to that you have your energy company come out and do an efficiency audit, most of them do it free of charge.

Answer 4

If your heat is baseboard resistance heat, you'll pay less by just heating the rooms you want to use.  You can get ceramic heaters for less than $20 at Target, maybe cheaper at Wally World.

Seal cracks.  If you have any leakage around doors or windows, fix the existing gaskets or add some of the stick-on foam gasket stuff you can get at hardware stores.

Plastic over windows is good, but double-pane is better.  I make frames out of 1x2 wood to dimensions 3/16" smaller than the window opening, cover them with heat-shrink film on both sides, add 3/8" stick-on foam gasket around the circumference and stick them in by friction; the compressed foam holds them in place, and you seal both convective heat flow and drafts.

Something I used to do:  if you use a low-flow shower head, you can leave the water heater off except when you are using it.  Turn it on 15 minutes before a shower and you'll have hot water, turn it off again when you're done.  If you feel like leaving the landlord something of value you can put a water-heater blanket on it too.

Answer 5

use candles. get a coleman gas stove and use that on a regular basis. shower in lukewarm water, in 2 minutes, every third day. wear your clothes for more than just one day before you wash them. wash your dishes by hand every fourth or fifth day when you have enough to wash in a tub, use the warm water to bathe in before you wash your dishes. I could go on and on...think outside the box...oh, sorry, you live in one....

Answer 6

It sounds like you are doing the basics. How old is this heater, you may find a newer portable to be much more efficient. Is the fridge very old? Older appliances can really suck up the energy. Try going to the meter and see how quickly it turns. Turn off all that you normally do and see if it slows, then unplug items that may be drawing power look for the largest change. That is likely to be the culprit.

Answer 7

I have the same concerns about conserving H2O and energy in the community that I live in. Make sure your toilet is not leaking. Heat actually doesnt cost asa much as a/c and you are very correct about making sure to turn everything off bfore leaving; to lower cost and prevent fire. I've found that to be about all i can do to keep electric bill low. of course, turn out lights when they arent being used too. As far as the stove, it uses less energy to use a microwave rather than heating up the oven range.

Answer 8

You might try putting plastic over your windows.  This will help to seal up any cracks that may be letting heat out or cold air in.  It is easily removable after winter is over or if you decide to move.  Otherwise, you might want to consider an energy efficient space heater instead of using the wall heaters.  I have found that there are some out there that actually cost less to run than the house heaters, and they heat just as good.  If that doesn't work, put on an extra sweater and double up your blankets!  ;o)