How To Efficiently Heat Your Home As a Renter This Winter

The simplest solution might not be the one you want to hear. “To save energy, turn the thermostat down,” says Ian Shapiro, professor of practice in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Syracuse University, whose work focuses on sustainability. “Setting the temperature lower will save energy.”

If you control the heating in your home, turn the heat off entirely if you’re leaving the house. If you’re able to, avoid heating rooms that are unoccupied. 

As the temperatures begin to drop, do an audit of your windows and doors to make sure they are properly sealed. Roughly 30% of a home’s heating and cooling energy is lost through the windows. 

Before checking, Shapiro recommends running your hand under the faucet. The water’s temperature doesn’t matter, but the moisture will make you more attuned to air movement. “[Your hand] becomes even more sensitive to leaks,” he says. Once you’ve figured out where cold air might be coming in from, you can apply temporary caulking or removable foam insulation to deal with the draft.