Help cut this bill.

[dirtydave]

Ok so I rent the upstairs of a house that was built in 1925.
~700sf. I have bubble wrap on all windows.The front door is a sliding glass door but I do have a porch.

I have two dudes that live downstairs. So two stoves two refrigerators ect..
I don't know if they try to conserve energy but I never see the lights on much.
If I am able to drop the bill a significant amount I will be happy knowing I am saving as much as I can and will ask the same from them the following month..

Almost everything is on a switch and is turned off when not in use.
still I have the internet and 10 android devices run 24/7 for perktv.

This is the heater. X3 one in the living room bathroom and bedroom.


Or I have this lil thing


1500 watt

I figured If I only use the space heater in the room I am in it would be cheaper but after seeing the bill I'm not so sure..





Any suggestions?

[user removed]

Blow in attic insulation.

regards
mech

[dirtydave]

I am in the attic already...

[Frank Lee]

Insulated jeans , halogen extreme zone heating, several heavy quilts on the bed, 50 degrees inside, styrofoam window filler panels at night, and a cat to provide heat. Works for me.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Insulated jeans , halogen extreme zone heating, several heavy quilts on the bed, 50 degrees inside, styrofoam window filler panels at night, and a cat to provide heat. Works for me.

So you are crazy !!!

On a more related note, aluminum foil over the windows would probably work better for keeping the heat in, while keeping the cold out (or vice versa).

I think our electric bill is somewhere in the area of 300 a month, so don't feel bad.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by Baltothewolf

So you are crazy !!!

On a more related note, aluminum foil over the windows would probably work better for keeping the heat in, while keeping the cold out (or vice versa).

I think our electric bill is somewhere in the area of 300 a month, so don't feel bad.

You can get styrofoam board with aluminum on it

[Cobb]

Not bad, we have 1000 sq ft, 2 people bill is 100 a month in summer, 150 in winter, about 500-800 kw. We have a heat pump. When Im not here the other person uses a space heater in their room.

My empty condo with cf 7 lamps on 24/7 uses 100 kw a month or 20 bucks worth of power.

Maybe you can get a window heat pump or get a window ac unit and turn it around backwards? Fuel vs electric for heat is suppose to be more efficient. What if you directed a fan at the radiators to make force heating?

Otherwise more insulation and shaving off usage here and there. Maybe get a killawatt meter and test stuff to see where the power is going. My shock was the plain tv box uses 400 watts even when off, the electric dryer sucks 7500 watts with door open but meter still running. Lastly was the water heater.

[IamIan]

First I would say to get a comfy set of thermal underwear .. shirt top and pants to wear under your clothes ... it's the biggest 'bang for the buck'... Also a sweater or sweat shirt as a 3rd torso layer is also a good step.

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Originally Posted by dirtydave

I figured If I only use the space heater in the room I am in it would be cheaper but after seeing the bill I'm not so sure..

You paid $72.26 for 124 Therms of Natural Gas
You paid $74.12 for 513 kwh of electricity.

1 Therm is roughly ~29kwh of energy.
124 x 29 = 3,596 kwh of input energy
Looks like an old heating system ... Average efficiency in the 1970's was around ~65% .. Current modern systems range from 75% to 97%.
If your heating system is a bit better than the average in 1970... ~70%
3,596 x 0.70 = roughly 2,517 kwh of heat energy into the living space.
2,517 kwh of living space heat for $72.26 =
Roughly ~ $0.03 per living space kwh of heat.

Electric heater ~99% efficient.
(74.12 / 513 ) x 0.99 = roughly ~$0.14 per kwh of living space heat.

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The space heater is a better fit for more targeted smaller zone heating .. but I wouldn't even consider it unless it were at least smaller than 1/5 the volume to be heated... Say a nice toasty warm bathroom for a shower , instead of trying to heat the whole living space to that same toasty warm temperature... but you leave the overall total living space at a lower temperature.

That targeted smaller volume logic is why there are also heating blankets , pads , etc ... because those also greatly reduce the total size of the space you are trying to heat , thus less total energy is needed.

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Also dry air feels colder than more moist air ... even if they are both actually the same temperature.

- - - - -

Make sure your bubble wrap is forming an air tight seal around the windows ... it isn't enough to just put it on loosely with air gaps.

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A basic infrared thermal gun (most hardware / home improvement stores) ... can also be used to look for heat leaks.

[Fat Charlie]

Cook soup. Hot drinks are almost as good- cooking warms the place and the hot food directly warms you- there's the ultimate in spot heating.

Along with that, avoid cold drinks. I don't care how cheap that beer is, if it's cold then it's adding to your heating costs.

[Xist]

I think that fitting foil-backed styrofoam panels would be a great idea. I am not sure that you would want to caulk it, but you should be able to shove a thin piece of foam rubber into gaps. If it is ninety years old, did they retrofit insulation into the walls?