Sunny California (2 Season State) to Utah (4 Season State) (apartment complex, rentals)

[DaleDaisies]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

I'm assuming you're asking this because you're concerned about saving money. A lot of people turn their heaters down to maybe the low 60s when they're gone during the daytime hours. I doubt there'd be more than a handful of days during the year when turning it off completely would cause the pipes to freeze, but keep in mind that it's going to take your apartment a while to heat up after the heat has been off. You don't want to come home in the middle of a cold spell and be freezing to death in your apartment for two or three hours while it warms up. So, my advice is to turn the heat down to no lower than 60° while you're gone, and down to maybe 66°-68° or so at night when you're asleep.

A parking garage would be great, but I would imagine that it's going to add to the cost of your rent. It's probably not essential, but I'd try to at least find something with a carport or something that at least shields your car to some extent. You don't want to go out to your car one morning, when the roads are snowy and you're already running late to get to a class and end up having to clean a foot of freshly fallen snow off your car.

One suggestion: Take up a winter sport like skiing or snowboarding. It will make a world of difference in how tolerable the winters are for you.

Couldn’t I get by with using an electric blanket heater and a portable heater instead of leaving the heater on while I’m gone? And during the extremely cold nights, I could turn on the heater?

[DaleDaisies]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

A good winter coat, such as sold by Eddie Bauer. None of that fashion stuff that won't stop a wind. A good pair of waterproof boots, also Eddie Bauer or Duluth Trading Company or ?? Not fashion boots with no gripping sole. I liked Polartec 300 shirts and sweaters for warmth. Depends on if your house/apt is well-insulated or not. A car with 4-wheel drive to be really safe. Polartec 300 gloves, not leather driving ones.

Do you have recommendations on fashionably insulating pants?

[old fed]

Originally Posted by DaleDaisies

Couldn’t I get by with using an electric blanket heater and a portable heater instead of leaving the heater on while I’m gone? And during the extremely cold nights, I could turn on the heater?

it sounds like you not familiar with central heating? you merely adjust the thermostat during the day/night.

also this will be a personal choice but i've lived in a state where it's much colder than utah and i've never had insulated pants unless it was well below zero and i was going to be out for prolonged periods of time. i know others here will disagree but generally it's not all that cold in utah.

[DaleDaisies]

Originally Posted by old fed

it sounds like you not familiar with central heating? you merely adjust the thermostat during the day/night.

also this will be a personal choice but i've lived in a state where it's much colder than utah and i've never had insulated pants unless it was well below zero and i was going to be out for prolonged periods of time. i know others here will disagree but generally it's not all that cold in utah.

Yea, I’ve lived in CA my whole life and have never used the central heating. But my cousin says it’s a lot more expensive to use central heating since it heats up the whole house, when I just need the bedroom to be heated. How much do yo usually pay per month for heating?

[irman]

Originally Posted by DaleDaisies

Yea, I’ve lived in CA my whole life and have never used the central heating. But my cousin says it’s a lot more expensive to use central heating since it heats up the whole house, when I just need the bedroom to be heated. How much do yo usually pay per month for heating?

Just curious here ...

I lived in California for many years and always had central heating. There was a (gas fired) heating unit in some wall somewhere and then the hot air goes thru heater ducts and comes out in almost every room in the house or apartment.

My wife-to-be lived in an apartment complex that had (electric) floor heating and almost every room had their own heating thermostat.

Now you are telling me you lived thus in California where there was NO heating?

Today I live in a house that has (electric) ceiling heaters (yes the heaters are in the ceiling!) and almost all rooms have individual thermostats. I only heat the bedroom and the bathroom, when I am alone.
When visitors come, I just turn on the thermostat in the living room. My house has 10 inch thick outside solid brick walls and thus the whole house stays cool (No AC needed, and a swamp cooler happens to work in Utah, due to the dryness of the climate) or warm depending on the season. I have no heat in the two basements I have and the temps there, are never lower than about 55.

I am sure that when you find somewhere to live, the heat will be central, and all you could do is close the heater vents in those rooms you are not using. However, it depends on where your thermostat is located. You can NOT close the heater vent, where the thermostat is located. About the only way to save money.

So, in your case, I would open the bedroom and the bathroom vent fully and close the rest of the vents in the rest of the place where you will live.

What kind of personal heater do you use now to keep comfy? Do you have one in each room you like to have warm?

Where will you be attending college or university?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by DaleDaisies

Couldn’t I get by with using an electric blanket heater and a portable heater instead of leaving the heater on while I’m gone? And during the extremely cold nights, I could turn on the heater?

It all depends on you. I know that wouldn't work for me. You could certainly start out that way and see if it works for you. If it doesn't, you could always switch over to just turning the heat down. I just know that I'm miserable when I'm cold and the last thing I want to do when I come home on a winter day (or especially on a winter night), is sit shivering in front of a space heater waiting for the rest of the house to warm up. Granted, some people aren't as bothered by the cold as others are.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by DaleDaisies

Do you have recommendations on fashionably insulating pants?

Unless you're going to be outside a lot, that's something you won't need. Get a nice warm coat, a hat and some gloves, and you'll be fine. This is Utah, not the Arctic.

[old fed]

Originally Posted by DaleDaisies

Yea, I’ve lived in CA my whole life and have never used the central heating. But my cousin says it’s a lot more expensive to use central heating since it heats up the whole house, when I just need the bedroom to be heated. How much do yo usually pay per month for heating?

you can't compare what i pay to what you might pay. i have a new, well insulated house. you'll be in a much smaller apartment.

[SquidneyGee]

One thing I have come across a few times when I was apartment hunting was communal central heating. You share the heating costs with the entire unit, sometimes four-six 2 bedroom apartments. So whether you use a lot or a little of the AC/heat, you will be splitting it with everyone. I found this very odd, but it seemed to vary from apartment to apartment complex.

Since I will be living in a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with my husband I asked other tenants in the apartment complexes what their heat/AC bill ran. It varied from $70-$90 in the winter and $50-70 in the summer for 800-1000sq ft insulated apartments with energy efficient windows. Not all apartments are the same, a lot of heat loss can happen in the windows and doors. So ask the apartment managers or tenants what their bills are if you can!

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by DaleDaisies

Couldn’t I get by with using an electric blanket heater and a portable heater instead of leaving the heater on while I’m gone? And during the extremely cold nights, I could turn on the heater?

Ok, the value of my advice depends on the conditions of the unit you move into, but if the unit has Natural Gas heat, it may be cheaper to heat the entire unit with the gas heater rather than a space heater and electric blanket. Electric heat is notorious for its cost, though, using an electric blanket to warm up the sheets and make them comfy is a real treat. Just turn it off after a few minutes. Or if the electric blanket is expensive, buy flannel sheets for winter use.

Oh, and you can turn down the heat to 60 degrees when you're in bed too. Some thermostats have timers on them, so you could set it to raise the temperature 30 minutes before you get up, and 30 minutes before you get home.

(I'm a California resident now, but these comments are based on when I was living in Connecticut)