January 25: Heat Costs

I dread the arrival of my electricity bill each month, now that it's winter. During the summer it was really low, but as soon as the cold set in it SKYROCKETED. The problem I had was that I didn't know how my apartment was being heated because I have no furnace or heating vents. I called my renting management company to find out how the heating system works and if they knew of any way to lower my bill. What I found out is that I have a radient heating system in the ceiling, and that each room can be controlled separately with the attractive temperature gauges found in each room.

Call me crazy, but does a heating system in the ceiling seem like a STUPID idea to anyone else? Hot air rises, so does that mean that I am heating the roof and the surrounding air when I turn up the heat? The management company told me to only turn the gauges in the rooms I use most often, and to keep the others turned off. Too bad that's what I already do! The only ones above zero are in the kitchen, the living room, and my bedroom. I guess this is just one more reason to wish for an early spring.


PS 24 days...