Just make sure windows and doors are properly sealed. You can add blackout curtains if you don't have them already. Not much you can do if you are renting. If you split utility costs between 3 or more people what's the issue ? Perhaps rent includes utilities for them and you are the one paying the difference?
We're more financially strapped than usual, so every cent counts. we've been employing community resources too, food banks and thrift stores. The energy bill has always been worth the physical comfort, but anything to have our cake and cool it too, yknow?
Blackout curtains are good. need to invest in more for the rest of our windows.
Calculate how much 1 degree difference would be on the bill and see if it's worth the effort. Is it possible for the cold person to wear additional layers and the warm person to wear breezier clothes? Honestly most solutions are going to cause more relationship annoyance than anything else. If you have no other choice to save money then everyone sucks it up and change the temperature slowly so people get use to it
My office is on the third floor and I bought a dehumidifier about a year ago. It is now so much more comfortable on the third floor and I don’t need the AC as much as a result.
It depends on the humidity in your area, but 60% vs 50% interior humidity makes a huge difference.
I’m very comfortable now at 75F whereas I needed it much colder before. The dehumidifier pulls 350W - which isn’t nothing - but compared to what the AC pulls it’s been a worthwhile investment.
You can use a reflective material like an emergency blanket or even aluminum foil taped directly to the window if you have windows that you don't care about blocking 24/7.
Do you have energy assistance where you are? Im in nevada and we have and energy assistance program through the department of welfare that gives money to low income households straight to the power company and water company too.
I also stopped using the clothes dryer in the summer months. I have a drying rack. The only thing i put in the dryer is towels after they are almost dry, for about 10 minutes so they arent stiff and crunchy feeling.
Heating and cooling a smaller space is typically cheaper. If your roommates are on board, it can be more efficient for your cold sensitive roommate to use a heated blanket or throw, or a radiant oil filled space heater in their room. Same with your heat, sensitive roommate, getting a small window AC and cooling one room in the house to 72° while keep keeping the rest of the house closer to 78 or 80 may save all of you a bit of money.
If you have not, I would also see if you qualify for income based energy assistance programs through your local provider. But honestly, your current energy bill does not sound excessive given that it is a three bedroom apartment with three adults with different needs.
Hey at least it's cheaper than our $700-$850 bills in the summer for a 3 bedroom home in So Cal. 😃
Are you making sure your roommates are paying their share of the utility cost of the heating and air?
I've learned to enjoy a cold finish to my shower and that helps, as well as jumping in the pool. Maybe one of those is an option.
We also were able to get a "discount" on our per kwH rate, because we have certain vehicles and appliances, so maybe see if your utility offers that. Truth be told though the discount, 33c per kwH is still higher than electricity was just two years ago.
Lastly there are discounts available for low income folks if that applies.
I used to live in SoCal! I was lucky to have central air and a better job back then. Godspeed for the rest of the summer!
I've been looking through resources for low income bill assistance, but most of it is for digging people out of a hole instead of preventing them from falling into one.
That sounds like a lot, is that normal for your area? I guess it's Cali so maybe you have an electric furnace, but if my bill got that high I'd be calling an HVAC tech out to make sure everything was working properly.
It's actually a little lower than neighbors with similar sq foot and a pool. We have new windows, variable speed pool pump, insulation, and a heat pump.
That's wild to me, but yeah if you're neighbor is paying the same then it's probably right. I was just thinking that if the heat pump failed and was putting the unit into emergency heat, that would be causing a big bill spike but it's unlikely that both you and your neighbor are having problems.
Yea, that constant arbitrary 72F is the killer. We're at 78F in the summer, 68F in the winter. Haven't died yet. Energy bill for everything is \~$160/mo for a stupidly sized house (3300 sq. ft... didn't want the house just wanted the land so we just have a lot of spare bedrooms).
I'm in Vegas, keep my AC at 82º-85º. I have a fan blowing at me at all times. Even have inline vent fans blowing under my covers. Currently testing higher temps while sleeping, as the under-cover fans make a world of difference.
glad that works for you… some people have medical conditions that prevent them from doing the same. Just because you “haven’t died yet” doesn’t mean others don’t.
What are your electric rate and service charges? What you are paying may or may not be excessive depending on those rates and what the temperature is like where you live.
I got a sun shade and attached it to my patio umbrella and that seems to add more shade. https://www.amazon.com/Cliselda-40-60-Resistant-Grommets-Greenhouse/dp/B0BX6PFBYY/ref=asc_df_B0BX6PFBYY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693713553268&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11234782849302977595&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031571&hvtargid=pla-2204580985610&psc=1&mcid=08d6fcddb0843e95bac17adc8a172f35&gad_source=1
We cut our energy use in half by doing our own energy audit, but because we were on tiered pricing it cut our bill by 2/3s. We went around with a Kill a Watt meter and looked at our energy reports to analyze our peak usage times. Some libraries have energy meters to loan. We still keep the house at 73 degrees in summer. I bought the book *The Home Energy Diet* for ideas. It is a little dated now, but might still help. We examined every appliance, every lamp, every outlet to know how much energy they were using and compared it to the utility reports, so when the reports would say we were using 2 kwhs between 5 pm and 6 pm, we knew exactly what was using those kwhs. (Hard wired appliances and lamp have to be estimated, but we found those estimates online.) Our recent energy report score was "Great", less energy use than even comparable efficient homes, even though we are retired and home most of the day.
These are some of the things we did: For white noise, replaced fans with a fan app. Bought a solar charger for our rechargable batteries. Bought solar chargeable power banks. LED lights inside, solar outside. Switched from using the wall ovens to a table top pizza oven and a table top convection oven. Replaced an energy hog TV. Bought 3 thermal cookers (cook with retained heat). Low flow shower heads. Bought a spin dryer (gets clothes damp dry without using much electricity compared to a dryer). Bought drying racks. Switched from using the stove to rice cooker with double steamer basket, electric wok and a hot pot. Unplugged Bose speakers and an old VCR no one was using but were using a surprising amount of energy just being plugged in. More meal prep and batch cooking. Open windows in morning and at night in summer to let cool air in. Weather stripped. Remember to turn off lights and TV when leaving room. Bought a little Scrubba Wash Bag for small laundry loads. Got rid of the spare fridge in the garage.
Edited for typo.
These are all things I do too to save on electricity. Ever since I found out about vampire energy I try to keep things unplugged when not in use. I too use a countertop oven instead of the apt oven, but since I found out the air fryer uses less electricity, I've been using it more. I air dry all my clothes now as the dryer was adding too much heat and was paying almost $1 to dry a small load.
I added a window ac unit and it’s been great. I need it pretty cold to sleep well and I live in FL lol. This allows me to keep house at 75, but freeze the bedroom.
See if the heat sensitive person would accept a window unit
check your thermal insulation. Where heat is entering. Then typical solutions for that.
Stop sunlight before it hits the window. Your curtain outside the window is much more effective than inside. Glass heats up, curtains heat up, everything heat up, even a mirror. Create shade whatever means you have, even if it curtain. just windproof it.
Limit space you need to cool down. Same in other way around. To save on heating costs, limit the heated area. In extreme conditions setting up and camping in bathtub is acceptable.
do you have basement, it\`s good place to dispose heat.
If you are up to diy. The compressor in the air conditioner is fighting for its life in this heat, literally. And it eats up the resources available. If saving electricity is the goal, help him otherwise. Like helping to dissipate heat.
for example, if the conditions are right, cool down your ac compressor radiator with water(not Niagara Falls rate, mist rate) or swamp cooler. like 2nd stage cooling. you waste water but ac compressor will not consume so much energy as air for disposing heat will be cooler than environment and more humid to take more heat from it radiator. Shading it wont help much because what disposes heat is air.
At one of the buildings where I work, one of the outside A/C units must be on its last leg because for a few years now, there's been a lawn sprinkler zip-tied to the unit spraying on the coils.
Put a new filter in your HVAC system, keep the blinds closed, do not open the windows at night until temps are in the mid sixties, seal any doors and run the over head fan when you are in the room.
Ice packs. I have a few of those HUGE ice packs (like the ones that come with HelloFresh). If I’m ever way to hot I slap one of those on my belly or back, lay down in front of a fan and literally chill the f out.
We also have smaller window units— keep the door closed and turn it on 30 minutes before bed and you’ll be good to go. We have 3 of them and our bill is typically lower in the summer than winter.
We also don’t use lights during most days. We have an open floor plan and a ton of windows; we don’t need lights until after dark.
no ice packs - unless u have an outdoor freezer - freezing water is very energy intensive and you will heat the house more than cool it - yes the immediate relief is felt when the ice cold air initially blows but it will heat the house and cost more later on - it take’s 3 watts of ac power to get 1 watt of heat out - make sure all tv computers are on on off switches
The best you can do is insulate. Go to the hardware store, buy a temperature gun and start looking for temperature differences. Use a candle and walk near walls and look for air leaks
More fans and rely on them more often.
Get blankets and maybe a hot water bottle for the cold sensitive roommate, heat the water for it in an electric kettle and not the stovetop (to contain excess heat you’ll have to AC away).
Invest in better cold beverages for the heat sensitive roommate, ice and a variety of drinks to meet it interesting so that cooling off by beverage stays viable.
Adjust the AC vents in each persons room so they’re getting as much heating and cooling as they want. Good luck! Sounds like a delicate balance.
Block out the windows facing south, use window paint, tin foil and/or heavy curtains. If you're handy and have a little extra to spend get window tint for the other windows and make sure it's UV and IR reflective.
If you have access, clean the coils on your AC unit, a little soap and water will do but they also have spray foam cleaners.
Run the fans as much as possible.
Put a pot of ice water over top of the stove vent, and always have one ready so that the second you're done with a stove burner, you can minimize the heat. Always run your stove vent fan when you're cooking, even if it's something quick.
Keep your fridge full - it's more energy efficient to have the back of the fridge filled with jugs of water or cans of pop than leave it empty
Be a crazy person about blinds and shades and curtains - never let the sun shine directly into your home. Having a reflective layer or white layer, then a blackout layer is more effective
Running the shower fan on hot days will suck the heat out
Always watch the wind direction. It's sometimes more efficient to have a fan pointed towards a window to blow the hot air out
Put bowls of ice in front of your fans
The roommate who is sensitive to cold needs a heating pad or an electric blanket or to just always wear a lot of layers, and the roommate who is sensitive to heat needs to roam the world in a light sundress (or their underwear if people are comfortable with that)
Make sure to get the ice from the convenience store down the street. Every time the compressor runs on your refrigerator, it is warming the air in the apartment by moving heat out of the unit directly into your living space. Your A/C then has to work harder to compensate.
My dehumidifier should arrive today as humidity is whats killing us with hopes we will be able to up the thermastat a degree or two as long as the moisture is down to a reasonable #.
Depending on where you are $255 isn't that bad for a 3bdr apt with 3 people.
Huge help is putting up blackout curtains and leaving them closed during the day. Huge amount of heat will get stopped there. Also 72 degrees with a fan blowing on you is cold. Try seeing if they really need temp to be maintained like that, cause 75 with a fan blowing on you should be enough for comfort during the day.
Not pretty, but eps foam on all the walls. Especially on all the sunward sided walls.
1x4x8 sheets would be the cheapest, but prone to breakage. Not that huge of a deal in the big picture.
Put your hand in the sunbeams coming through your windows. Do you feel warmth? Touch the window frames. Are they hot to the touch? Then insulate the windows. Cut styrofoam to fit.
Solar emergency blanket everything.
My wife likes it cooler in summer, 74-78°F while I like it a little warmer, being old. Solution is socks and a lap blanket. Our electric bill is on a $79 a month budget here in central Nebraska. Having conifer tree wind breaks helps in my rural village. The house is well insulated and has passive roof vents, that really help.
Is $255 your entire utility bill? If so, honestly, that’s not too bad. $85 a month each to be comfortable seems reasonable. Sounds like you don’t live in a hot area, since you are sometimes able to open the windows. Turning it up a degree or two might help if your heat- sensitive roommate is willing.
How are you faring? At 72F I would be freezing. I actually start feeling cold with anything below 27C (around 80F). If you and your chilly roommate can agree on a comfortable temperature above 72 (dear God, insanity) it might be faaaar more economical to get your snowman roommate an extra air-conditioning unit just for his room, so he make it as Alaska as he likes in there?
Seal everything up, heavy or thermal curtains will help. Also 72 is way low. Lose some clothing and crank it up to 74 or 75. I found 75 is perfect for me to sleep once I got over not using blankets. My SO does not like AC only on super hot nights and she will crank it down into the 60's and get under 3 blankets. It takes some getting used to not being all covered but it saves on A/C. 75 gets the humidity out and is a lot nicer than the >90 it is on the second floor after a hot day.
What we did is still use AC but not turn it as low as we're used to.
We used to turn it down to 68 at night during the summers. But now we just turn it to 75 and also use the fan.
The fan helps lower the temp and makes us feel cooler.
Our electricity bill is lower than last summer.
People are shocked at how much good weather proofing can impact your homes climate. I did a bunch of this for my aunt who was always complaining of a draft/how cold she was. She was astounded at how the caulking, outlet insulation, and weather stripping made her place so much warmer.
It’s not that expensive either given the savings on energy.
The reverse for summer would be blinds, blackout curtains, keeping the lights off, and a fan.
You might try radiant barrier for the windows. Cut a piece of cardboard(or thin plywood - better) to the size of a window. Glue radiant barrier onto it. Face it in the direction you want to reflect heat. During cooling, face it out so it reflects incoming light. During heating, face it towards the interior so that it reflects energy that was about to leave through the window back into the room. It will not only make a caloric difference, but it also improves comfort, which is more complicated than just dry bulb temp.
The downsides are: 1) blocks light - may feel claustrophobic, 2) blocks airflow when you would have windows open, 3) looks like garbage.
Maybe try with only a few of the windows. Play around with it, you'll get the idea. If you're really trying to cut, it would even work on sun facing walls. For example, between a wall and a couch on a west face exterior wall.
I assume “water cooler” is like a swamp cooler? If so, it will depend *wildly* on where OP is. Arizona? Likely works well. Louisiana? Would be terrible.
are you able to lean solar panels outside and have them face the sun? If so, I would put the one guy who needs it extremely cold with a window ac powered by the 2 used solar panels. The other things that would need to be purchased are a charge controller, fuse, battery and some wire. I have purchased those items used for less than $300. (the window ac was free off craigslist) I would just hook up that without running the solar into your house wiring. Run it totally separate so you can avoid issues with the inspectors.
In an apartment I’m assuming you have an electric water heater? If so, shorten up those showers and make them cooler. Heating water is far more expensive than cooling.
Check out different community resources, or even bill assistance programs from your utility. A lot of them will offer discounts for insulation/weatherization upgrades, and I believe there are federal tax credits you can get for these items as well!
I use two cross flow window fans, one pulling cool air in and the exhausting out hot air in the morning-- 6:00AM to 9:00AM. But you need a corner apt at least.
Turn down your water heater
Serve cold meals like sandwiches and salads
Use a crockpot, microwave, or instant pot more than your oven or stove
Go around your house and remove lightbulbs. Like, if you have a fixture in your bathroom with 5 bulbs, take out 3 of them.
Use power strips to plug in your TV, appliances, internet, whatever. Turn off the power strips at night so you aren't using phantom power
Wash your clothes in cold water - most detergent is meant to work that way
Always wash only full loads of clothes or dishes
Hang your clothes to dry
Try turning your thermostat up just four degrees and using a fan. I read or heard that if you have a fan on you that you can turn your thermostat up 3 to 4 degrees without it being uncomfortable
Get out of your house if you can during the hottest part of the day
In my experience blankets are better than blackout curtains at temperature control. You can also buy tint on Amazon for relatively cheap and add that to the windows starting with those that get the most direct sunlight. If your windows are old and don't seal well you can get kits that you put over window openings that are essentially heat wrap you got to the window to make a weatherproof seal. (Duck Window Shrink Film)
I live in an area that gets up to 100+ in the summer for most of the summer months and have lived in older houses.
You don't need hot water all the time. Just figure out when your family takes showers and set your water heater on a timer so it warms up an hour before that. This might need to be twice a day but that's okay.
I once lived in a little shack that had terrible insulation. Anything that was plugged into a wall outlet, I plugged instead into a power strip. When I would leave the house I would turn the power strips off. Anything that is plugged into a wall outlet, is draining energy even if it's not being used. I left the AC on and other appliances like the refrigerator. My power bill was $35 a month.
As others have mentioned, an energy audit will show how drafty and inefficient your home is, specifically windows, doors and attic. Also recommend finding a way to switch suppliers to a lower rate, assuming you're in a deregulated market - something like 15 states.
[powerpicker.org](http://powerpicker.org/?utm_source=mz) automates is also a free tool that automates your utility rate switching without any work. There's also ones like Arbor and Wattbuy but they are not incentivized to help you save like PowerPicker
I find it hard to believe that your roommate can’t endure a warmer temperature. Perhaps they should work on their health because everyone should be able to bear more than 22C easily
Just make sure windows and doors are properly sealed. You can add blackout curtains if you don't have them already. Not much you can do if you are renting. If you split utility costs between 3 or more people what's the issue ? Perhaps rent includes utilities for them and you are the one paying the difference?
We're more financially strapped than usual, so every cent counts. we've been employing community resources too, food banks and thrift stores. The energy bill has always been worth the physical comfort, but anything to have our cake and cool it too, yknow? Blackout curtains are good. need to invest in more for the rest of our windows.
Calculate how much 1 degree difference would be on the bill and see if it's worth the effort. Is it possible for the cold person to wear additional layers and the warm person to wear breezier clothes? Honestly most solutions are going to cause more relationship annoyance than anything else. If you have no other choice to save money then everyone sucks it up and change the temperature slowly so people get use to it
Above 72 a 1° difference is usually around 3% difference on your bill.
My office is on the third floor and I bought a dehumidifier about a year ago. It is now so much more comfortable on the third floor and I don’t need the AC as much as a result. It depends on the humidity in your area, but 60% vs 50% interior humidity makes a huge difference. I’m very comfortable now at 75F whereas I needed it much colder before. The dehumidifier pulls 350W - which isn’t nothing - but compared to what the AC pulls it’s been a worthwhile investment.
You can use a reflective material like an emergency blanket or even aluminum foil taped directly to the window if you have windows that you don't care about blocking 24/7.
Do you have energy assistance where you are? Im in nevada and we have and energy assistance program through the department of welfare that gives money to low income households straight to the power company and water company too. I also stopped using the clothes dryer in the summer months. I have a drying rack. The only thing i put in the dryer is towels after they are almost dry, for about 10 minutes so they arent stiff and crunchy feeling.
Cling on window tint has helped us a ton
Heating and cooling a smaller space is typically cheaper. If your roommates are on board, it can be more efficient for your cold sensitive roommate to use a heated blanket or throw, or a radiant oil filled space heater in their room. Same with your heat, sensitive roommate, getting a small window AC and cooling one room in the house to 72° while keep keeping the rest of the house closer to 78 or 80 may save all of you a bit of money. If you have not, I would also see if you qualify for income based energy assistance programs through your local provider. But honestly, your current energy bill does not sound excessive given that it is a three bedroom apartment with three adults with different needs.
Hey at least it's cheaper than our $700-$850 bills in the summer for a 3 bedroom home in So Cal. 😃 Are you making sure your roommates are paying their share of the utility cost of the heating and air? I've learned to enjoy a cold finish to my shower and that helps, as well as jumping in the pool. Maybe one of those is an option. We also were able to get a "discount" on our per kwH rate, because we have certain vehicles and appliances, so maybe see if your utility offers that. Truth be told though the discount, 33c per kwH is still higher than electricity was just two years ago. Lastly there are discounts available for low income folks if that applies.
I used to live in SoCal! I was lucky to have central air and a better job back then. Godspeed for the rest of the summer! I've been looking through resources for low income bill assistance, but most of it is for digging people out of a hole instead of preventing them from falling into one.
That's the problem with so much assistance. I'd actually like to see that balanced out, to save people before it's too late.
That sounds like a lot, is that normal for your area? I guess it's Cali so maybe you have an electric furnace, but if my bill got that high I'd be calling an HVAC tech out to make sure everything was working properly.
It's actually a little lower than neighbors with similar sq foot and a pool. We have new windows, variable speed pool pump, insulation, and a heat pump.
That's wild to me, but yeah if you're neighbor is paying the same then it's probably right. I was just thinking that if the heat pump failed and was putting the unit into emergency heat, that would be causing a big bill spike but it's unlikely that both you and your neighbor are having problems.
"not sure what I can do without killing my housemates" 😂😂😂
Comfort cost $$$. Only way you change that is to get like minded, low maintenance room mates.
Yea, that constant arbitrary 72F is the killer. We're at 78F in the summer, 68F in the winter. Haven't died yet. Energy bill for everything is \~$160/mo for a stupidly sized house (3300 sq. ft... didn't want the house just wanted the land so we just have a lot of spare bedrooms).
I'm going to tell my wife that you guys keep the thermostat at 78 in the summer... finally I'm going to win!!! ahahahaha
Thermostat: 80. If they don’t like it, go play outside.
I'm in Vegas, keep my AC at 82º-85º. I have a fan blowing at me at all times. Even have inline vent fans blowing under my covers. Currently testing higher temps while sleeping, as the under-cover fans make a world of difference.
if I could post a picture of it I would, they'll just have to trust that you've found the elusive 78F people.
Lol my slightly cheaper electric bill will be forever in your favor
78 gang checking in
glad that works for you… some people have medical conditions that prevent them from doing the same. Just because you “haven’t died yet” doesn’t mean others don’t.
What are your electric rate and service charges? What you are paying may or may not be excessive depending on those rates and what the temperature is like where you live.
I'd be interested to know how much cooling you'd get from hanging a reflective tarp outside your window and sun facing walls
I got a sun shade and attached it to my patio umbrella and that seems to add more shade. https://www.amazon.com/Cliselda-40-60-Resistant-Grommets-Greenhouse/dp/B0BX6PFBYY/ref=asc_df_B0BX6PFBYY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693713553268&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11234782849302977595&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031571&hvtargid=pla-2204580985610&psc=1&mcid=08d6fcddb0843e95bac17adc8a172f35&gad_source=1
You could use UV blocking film for the windows
We cut our energy use in half by doing our own energy audit, but because we were on tiered pricing it cut our bill by 2/3s. We went around with a Kill a Watt meter and looked at our energy reports to analyze our peak usage times. Some libraries have energy meters to loan. We still keep the house at 73 degrees in summer. I bought the book *The Home Energy Diet* for ideas. It is a little dated now, but might still help. We examined every appliance, every lamp, every outlet to know how much energy they were using and compared it to the utility reports, so when the reports would say we were using 2 kwhs between 5 pm and 6 pm, we knew exactly what was using those kwhs. (Hard wired appliances and lamp have to be estimated, but we found those estimates online.) Our recent energy report score was "Great", less energy use than even comparable efficient homes, even though we are retired and home most of the day. These are some of the things we did: For white noise, replaced fans with a fan app. Bought a solar charger for our rechargable batteries. Bought solar chargeable power banks. LED lights inside, solar outside. Switched from using the wall ovens to a table top pizza oven and a table top convection oven. Replaced an energy hog TV. Bought 3 thermal cookers (cook with retained heat). Low flow shower heads. Bought a spin dryer (gets clothes damp dry without using much electricity compared to a dryer). Bought drying racks. Switched from using the stove to rice cooker with double steamer basket, electric wok and a hot pot. Unplugged Bose speakers and an old VCR no one was using but were using a surprising amount of energy just being plugged in. More meal prep and batch cooking. Open windows in morning and at night in summer to let cool air in. Weather stripped. Remember to turn off lights and TV when leaving room. Bought a little Scrubba Wash Bag for small laundry loads. Got rid of the spare fridge in the garage. Edited for typo.
These are all things I do too to save on electricity. Ever since I found out about vampire energy I try to keep things unplugged when not in use. I too use a countertop oven instead of the apt oven, but since I found out the air fryer uses less electricity, I've been using it more. I air dry all my clothes now as the dryer was adding too much heat and was paying almost $1 to dry a small load.
I added a window ac unit and it’s been great. I need it pretty cold to sleep well and I live in FL lol. This allows me to keep house at 75, but freeze the bedroom. See if the heat sensitive person would accept a window unit
check your thermal insulation. Where heat is entering. Then typical solutions for that. Stop sunlight before it hits the window. Your curtain outside the window is much more effective than inside. Glass heats up, curtains heat up, everything heat up, even a mirror. Create shade whatever means you have, even if it curtain. just windproof it. Limit space you need to cool down. Same in other way around. To save on heating costs, limit the heated area. In extreme conditions setting up and camping in bathtub is acceptable. do you have basement, it\`s good place to dispose heat. If you are up to diy. The compressor in the air conditioner is fighting for its life in this heat, literally. And it eats up the resources available. If saving electricity is the goal, help him otherwise. Like helping to dissipate heat. for example, if the conditions are right, cool down your ac compressor radiator with water(not Niagara Falls rate, mist rate) or swamp cooler. like 2nd stage cooling. you waste water but ac compressor will not consume so much energy as air for disposing heat will be cooler than environment and more humid to take more heat from it radiator. Shading it wont help much because what disposes heat is air.
At one of the buildings where I work, one of the outside A/C units must be on its last leg because for a few years now, there's been a lawn sprinkler zip-tied to the unit spraying on the coils.
Put a new filter in your HVAC system, keep the blinds closed, do not open the windows at night until temps are in the mid sixties, seal any doors and run the over head fan when you are in the room.
Ice packs. I have a few of those HUGE ice packs (like the ones that come with HelloFresh). If I’m ever way to hot I slap one of those on my belly or back, lay down in front of a fan and literally chill the f out. We also have smaller window units— keep the door closed and turn it on 30 minutes before bed and you’ll be good to go. We have 3 of them and our bill is typically lower in the summer than winter. We also don’t use lights during most days. We have an open floor plan and a ton of windows; we don’t need lights until after dark.
oh yeah, i use ice packs to sleep pretty regularly. total lifesaver. I'll see if i can't get my overheating roommate to invest in some more.
no ice packs - unless u have an outdoor freezer - freezing water is very energy intensive and you will heat the house more than cool it - yes the immediate relief is felt when the ice cold air initially blows but it will heat the house and cost more later on - it take’s 3 watts of ac power to get 1 watt of heat out - make sure all tv computers are on on off switches
The best you can do is insulate. Go to the hardware store, buy a temperature gun and start looking for temperature differences. Use a candle and walk near walls and look for air leaks
More fans and rely on them more often. Get blankets and maybe a hot water bottle for the cold sensitive roommate, heat the water for it in an electric kettle and not the stovetop (to contain excess heat you’ll have to AC away). Invest in better cold beverages for the heat sensitive roommate, ice and a variety of drinks to meet it interesting so that cooling off by beverage stays viable. Adjust the AC vents in each persons room so they’re getting as much heating and cooling as they want. Good luck! Sounds like a delicate balance.
Adjust the temp… we have to keep it at 78 in CA or the bill is too high
Aluminum foil on carboard in the windows. I put reflectix in the window. It helps
Block out the windows facing south, use window paint, tin foil and/or heavy curtains. If you're handy and have a little extra to spend get window tint for the other windows and make sure it's UV and IR reflective. If you have access, clean the coils on your AC unit, a little soap and water will do but they also have spray foam cleaners. Run the fans as much as possible.
learn to be warm
Put a pot of ice water over top of the stove vent, and always have one ready so that the second you're done with a stove burner, you can minimize the heat. Always run your stove vent fan when you're cooking, even if it's something quick. Keep your fridge full - it's more energy efficient to have the back of the fridge filled with jugs of water or cans of pop than leave it empty Be a crazy person about blinds and shades and curtains - never let the sun shine directly into your home. Having a reflective layer or white layer, then a blackout layer is more effective Running the shower fan on hot days will suck the heat out Always watch the wind direction. It's sometimes more efficient to have a fan pointed towards a window to blow the hot air out Put bowls of ice in front of your fans The roommate who is sensitive to cold needs a heating pad or an electric blanket or to just always wear a lot of layers, and the roommate who is sensitive to heat needs to roam the world in a light sundress (or their underwear if people are comfortable with that)
Make sure to get the ice from the convenience store down the street. Every time the compressor runs on your refrigerator, it is warming the air in the apartment by moving heat out of the unit directly into your living space. Your A/C then has to work harder to compensate.
My dehumidifier should arrive today as humidity is whats killing us with hopes we will be able to up the thermastat a degree or two as long as the moisture is down to a reasonable #.
Depending on where you are $255 isn't that bad for a 3bdr apt with 3 people. Huge help is putting up blackout curtains and leaving them closed during the day. Huge amount of heat will get stopped there. Also 72 degrees with a fan blowing on you is cold. Try seeing if they really need temp to be maintained like that, cause 75 with a fan blowing on you should be enough for comfort during the day.
Not pretty, but eps foam on all the walls. Especially on all the sunward sided walls. 1x4x8 sheets would be the cheapest, but prone to breakage. Not that huge of a deal in the big picture. Put your hand in the sunbeams coming through your windows. Do you feel warmth? Touch the window frames. Are they hot to the touch? Then insulate the windows. Cut styrofoam to fit. Solar emergency blanket everything.
My wife likes it cooler in summer, 74-78°F while I like it a little warmer, being old. Solution is socks and a lap blanket. Our electric bill is on a $79 a month budget here in central Nebraska. Having conifer tree wind breaks helps in my rural village. The house is well insulated and has passive roof vents, that really help.
Is $255 your entire utility bill? If so, honestly, that’s not too bad. $85 a month each to be comfortable seems reasonable. Sounds like you don’t live in a hot area, since you are sometimes able to open the windows. Turning it up a degree or two might help if your heat- sensitive roommate is willing.
How are you faring? At 72F I would be freezing. I actually start feeling cold with anything below 27C (around 80F). If you and your chilly roommate can agree on a comfortable temperature above 72 (dear God, insanity) it might be faaaar more economical to get your snowman roommate an extra air-conditioning unit just for his room, so he make it as Alaska as he likes in there?
Have one wear less clothes and one wear more
Seal everything up, heavy or thermal curtains will help. Also 72 is way low. Lose some clothing and crank it up to 74 or 75. I found 75 is perfect for me to sleep once I got over not using blankets. My SO does not like AC only on super hot nights and she will crank it down into the 60's and get under 3 blankets. It takes some getting used to not being all covered but it saves on A/C. 75 gets the humidity out and is a lot nicer than the >90 it is on the second floor after a hot day.
What we did is still use AC but not turn it as low as we're used to. We used to turn it down to 68 at night during the summers. But now we just turn it to 75 and also use the fan. The fan helps lower the temp and makes us feel cooler. Our electricity bill is lower than last summer.
People are shocked at how much good weather proofing can impact your homes climate. I did a bunch of this for my aunt who was always complaining of a draft/how cold she was. She was astounded at how the caulking, outlet insulation, and weather stripping made her place so much warmer. It’s not that expensive either given the savings on energy. The reverse for summer would be blinds, blackout curtains, keeping the lights off, and a fan.
If you're renting, reflective window film can be put on any sun facing windows to bounce that light right back out of your place
Ive never had a landlord that allowed this. My lease specifically forbids it.
You might try radiant barrier for the windows. Cut a piece of cardboard(or thin plywood - better) to the size of a window. Glue radiant barrier onto it. Face it in the direction you want to reflect heat. During cooling, face it out so it reflects incoming light. During heating, face it towards the interior so that it reflects energy that was about to leave through the window back into the room. It will not only make a caloric difference, but it also improves comfort, which is more complicated than just dry bulb temp. The downsides are: 1) blocks light - may feel claustrophobic, 2) blocks airflow when you would have windows open, 3) looks like garbage. Maybe try with only a few of the windows. Play around with it, you'll get the idea. If you're really trying to cut, it would even work on sun facing walls. For example, between a wall and a couch on a west face exterior wall.
Insulation and air sealing. Especially in your arrtic and basement. Many states offer rebate programs and financing to help with the cost.
Use water cooler. I have used them for several years for fraction of cost of AC.
I assume “water cooler” is like a swamp cooler? If so, it will depend *wildly* on where OP is. Arizona? Likely works well. Louisiana? Would be terrible.
are you able to lean solar panels outside and have them face the sun? If so, I would put the one guy who needs it extremely cold with a window ac powered by the 2 used solar panels. The other things that would need to be purchased are a charge controller, fuse, battery and some wire. I have purchased those items used for less than $300. (the window ac was free off craigslist) I would just hook up that without running the solar into your house wiring. Run it totally separate so you can avoid issues with the inspectors.
In an apartment I’m assuming you have an electric water heater? If so, shorten up those showers and make them cooler. Heating water is far more expensive than cooling.
and an insulating blanket to keep the heat in the water
Check out different community resources, or even bill assistance programs from your utility. A lot of them will offer discounts for insulation/weatherization upgrades, and I believe there are federal tax credits you can get for these items as well!
I use two cross flow window fans, one pulling cool air in and the exhausting out hot air in the morning-- 6:00AM to 9:00AM. But you need a corner apt at least.
I second blackout curtains. You can post on fb community sites and ask if anyone can help out.
Electric fans on high while operating ac at higher temps .
Turn down your water heater Serve cold meals like sandwiches and salads Use a crockpot, microwave, or instant pot more than your oven or stove Go around your house and remove lightbulbs. Like, if you have a fixture in your bathroom with 5 bulbs, take out 3 of them. Use power strips to plug in your TV, appliances, internet, whatever. Turn off the power strips at night so you aren't using phantom power Wash your clothes in cold water - most detergent is meant to work that way Always wash only full loads of clothes or dishes Hang your clothes to dry Try turning your thermostat up just four degrees and using a fan. I read or heard that if you have a fan on you that you can turn your thermostat up 3 to 4 degrees without it being uncomfortable Get out of your house if you can during the hottest part of the day
In my experience blankets are better than blackout curtains at temperature control. You can also buy tint on Amazon for relatively cheap and add that to the windows starting with those that get the most direct sunlight. If your windows are old and don't seal well you can get kits that you put over window openings that are essentially heat wrap you got to the window to make a weatherproof seal. (Duck Window Shrink Film) I live in an area that gets up to 100+ in the summer for most of the summer months and have lived in older houses.
Can you talk to the energy company about budget billing where they average your low and high months to make a flat rate?
You don't need hot water all the time. Just figure out when your family takes showers and set your water heater on a timer so it warms up an hour before that. This might need to be twice a day but that's okay.
I once lived in a little shack that had terrible insulation. Anything that was plugged into a wall outlet, I plugged instead into a power strip. When I would leave the house I would turn the power strips off. Anything that is plugged into a wall outlet, is draining energy even if it's not being used. I left the AC on and other appliances like the refrigerator. My power bill was $35 a month.
As others have mentioned, an energy audit will show how drafty and inefficient your home is, specifically windows, doors and attic. Also recommend finding a way to switch suppliers to a lower rate, assuming you're in a deregulated market - something like 15 states. [powerpicker.org](http://powerpicker.org/?utm_source=mz) automates is also a free tool that automates your utility rate switching without any work. There's also ones like Arbor and Wattbuy but they are not incentivized to help you save like PowerPicker
I find it hard to believe that your roommate can’t endure a warmer temperature. Perhaps they should work on their health because everyone should be able to bear more than 22C easily
$255? That’s about $85 per roommate. Not bad.