We just got our electric bill for the month of February and I was pleased to see that it was only $61. Although February was pretty cold we rarely had to use our heat. We turned off our heat in the middle of February and our inside temperature has rarely been below 70 degrees even though there have been plenty of below freezing days. My guess is that we are getting a lot of free heat from the neighboring apartments.
We also benefit from fairly cheap electricity rates. This bill was based on usage of 728 kWh. According to the Department of Energy the average residential household used 920 kWh per month in 2008. We aren’t that much below the national average by kWh but I’d guess we are farther below by amount paid. I’m hoping we can get the energy usage down more this month.
Back in 2003 I lived in a middle apartment and what you are saying was definitely true then. I rarely turned on the heat or the A/C since my neighbors’ apartments kept mine at a comfortable temperature.
Some of the other things I do to cut electricity include charging my phone and computer at work or in the car.
I’m pretty good at conserving energy but I could still do better.
I lived in a top-floor apartment in Colorado and had a similar experience … hot air rises (from the apartments below), warms the floor, we feel warm, and our electricity bills (even in January in Colorado) were very low!
That is something to keep in mind when looking for an apartment. I don’t really like walking up the steps all the time but it might be worth it for the savings.