My partner and I moved into the top floor (approx 1000 sq ft) of a duplex in September, and as the temperature has dropped moving into the winter months, we have been AMAZED by the expense of heating this place. We keep the thermostat around 70, but it is not 70 in most parts of our home. The duplex was built in 1930 and has new windows, but it seems like there is almost no insulation in the walls. Every exterior wall is cold to the touch, and there are MANY drafts coming from windows and doorways.
We have already added heavy curtains in front of almost every window, plus lined the windows with blankets to further help insulate. Sadly this makes our home very dark. We have also covered the sources of any noticeable drafts with styrofoam, fabric, or draft snakes.
And yet it cost us $165 to heat the home with natural gas last month. December wasn’t even very cold here- most days were in the 40s (F). That doesn’t include the electricity it cost to blow that air around our house.
We also have some pets, so we can’t just turn the heat down super low, as it would be unfair to keep house rabbits in the cold- they live on the floor, where our home is coldest.
Might it be more economical for us to get a few electric space heaters and warm the apartment that way?
Any suggestions would be very helpful! Thanks :)
January 17, 2019 at 02:33PM
