I did once in Asheville NC. It was my first house, and we froze. Especially since i had no car and had to walk to the bus to get to college everyday, so there was almost no escape. We watched reruns of Twin Peaks all winter in our sleeping bags in the living room and i took a lot of hot baths. After about 2 months of cold, someone broke down and got it the gas turned on. We were so relieved and excited, until we got home that first night. All of the windows were fogged up and the heat would not turn off (we didn't know anything about a house, as now i know we could have just turn off the pilot light or flipped the breaker). We had to leave the windows open until the heater guy could get out there the next day. But walking around in our skivvies for a night was much better then being in our sleeping bags constantly.

A programmable thermostat is the best money you could spend if you want to save on your heating/cooling bill.

I grew up in NH with a very...frugal... father. We had a programmable thermostat and when we were home the heat was always set at 63 degrees, it went down to 57 at night. Its been years but he's still famous for "If you're cold, put on a sweater!"

Last winter I read an article that recommended that you don't turn your thermostat below 60 degrees. Depending on where you are located turning the temperature below 60 could lead to potential problems, like frozen pipes or similar issues. Also you want to avoid turning your heat off during the day because your heater will have to work much hard to bring the house back up to temperature.

I recommend a programmable thermostat or simply leave it at 60 degrees.

There's lots of stuff you can do other than turning off the heat to save money. Eat cheap food and empty your freezer, Don't buy clotes, sell everything you've had lying around useless. Do more work <-this is the best way to get more money I think. Just don't have a life for a month and just work work work. You'll double your income, and at the same time won't need to spend for drinks and stuff on girls night out. Buy cheap beer and arrange a home party. People will bring beverages that you can recycle for money (if you have recycling on bottles in your country).

I agree with Stoff3R, there is plenty of other things you can do. DH & I turn down our thermostat every time we leave the house. We save every month. (someone already mentioned a programable one & that also works) Clip coupons, stop buying lunch & brown bag it, stop the daily Star-Biz-ucks run (reference to Malibu's Most Wanted), cut the cable & go Hulu.com for a few months. There's no way I'd cut the heat off for a month.

My roommate and I did 55 last winter, and it wasn't that bad! Get some warm throws for the couch, electric blankets to warm your bed, and lots of hot tea! We saved a ton of money.

I live in nyc, so it can star getting nippy around October in the evenings. Can stay pretty mild during the day. For the past six years during that month I have no heat or air conditioning on. Yes that last week can get pretty chilly and my family complains, but I don'y turn on the heat until Nov.1. I have saved through the years on average about $2700.00. I think that's worth it. Go for it!

I live in Saskatoon, SK, Canada... so you better believe that there are times we have bitterly cold weather (anywhere from Oct-April the nights are below freezing)... and yet I have been known to keep my heat JUST tolerable (some of my friends didn't think it was tolerable). I used a programmable thermostat, though... it was set to 14C when I was gone during the day, 17C when we were home and into the early evening, and 15C overnight. My kids and I stayed warm with fuzzy socks, sweats, and warm piles of blankets (and snuggling the kitties)... While most of my friends were not used to this (my closest friend still lives with her parents and they keep their home at 22C) and I recieved a lot of complaints... but all we needed was a little extra clothing and it worked out well...

I grew up in an old 1850's farmhouse in Michigan. The second floor (well over 1000sq ft alone) had one heat duct. One. It would get frigid up there, one night I wore sweats, a flannel gown, my robe, mittens and a hat to bed. I was still cold. I will NEVER be that cold again in my own home. There are better ways to save money.
Also, under 57 (you live in a winter climate) is bad for the house. You need heat to dry out the dampness and to keep your pipes from freezing.

I live in Edmonton Alberta and it was -4 this am!! That's just plain gross at this time of year, +20 same day last year.
I would consider almost anything else mentioned before cutting the heat. We don't turn it up too high, never higher than 21 and that's saved for the coldest of the -40 plus windchill (there was one day last winter that we hit colder than -50, only Siberia was colder!!) days.
Why don't you see about getting a temp christmas job. You could work all of Nov-Dec and make a hell of a lot more than what you'd save turning the heat off. Added bonus, you won't be home so you can turn the heat down a bit too!

Last year I moved into an older building in Ft. Lauderdale that only had window shakers to control the temperature. I was fine without a heater in the winter. Now, it doesn't get too cold in South Florida, but those terrazzo floors made it feel like the grocer's freezer section!

NO way. I'd have no energy with the heat at 55. If the heat in my house is below 68 I have to bundle up and do nothing at night except sit in blankets and watch TV. Makes for a very depressing winter. My last apartment was on the 4th story of an old Victorian rowhome with radiators and the colder it got outside, the hotter it got in my apartment. I'd actually have to open the windows sometimes :)

I lived last winter with the heat at 60 (in Baltimore where we got slammed with the worst snowstorms since before I was born). My roommate was hardly ever home and he'd crank it to 70 and complain about the temperature when he was there. During the worst of it he was at his girlfriend's for just about a solid month. When he got the electric bill he let me start controlling the temperature. It was $125 instead of the $300 he was expecting. Buy thick socks, pull out your hoodies and a down comforter, and you're golden. Just keep it at 60 to be safe.

I live in St. Paul, and had a broken window and a drafty building for my very first apartment. I kept a space heater at the foot of my bed because it was routinely 48 degrees in there. Unfun.
55 I think I could handle on a regular basis, though. I like having it a little colder - always have. You can always add more layers. Invest in gloves, though.

My roommates for the last four years have hated me for this habit. A/C gets set no lower than 80 during the summer and unless it's really humid, unbearable hot or I have people over, the A/C is almost always off with the windows open and the fan running. I much prefer the fresh air and moving air from windows and fans.

During the winter my heat will probably be set between 60 and 65. I've just moved so I don't know how winter will be here, but that should be easily doable.

My family has never been too particular about the thermostat so I'm not sure where this habit came from. But it was always fun battling with my roommates about the temp. Now I live alone so it's up to me!.

We went down to 55 F last winter in Maryland, and it is doable. Dressing warmly and snuggling together with a movie and a curled-up cat on the third floor of our townhouse were not unpleasant. Also, having the money to make our house even more energy efficient was a major plus.

We do, however, have a programmable thermostat - and I'll cop to setting it to 60 F for morning showers.

When the weather gets freezing, you might want to reconsider setting the thermostat that low...even if you live in an apartment, if the pipes freeze, you will be responsible for paying for that work. It'll cost you much more money than you will have saved. I would recommend setting it at least 60 degrees which will still be frugal but much more safe.

There are much better ways to gain money. Stop buying brand names - start going generic - can save a lot of money quickly. Eat in more and stop going to expensive restaurants - you'll actually get the benefit of eating healthier as well. Don't buy new clothes - if you need something, borrow or find in a thrift store. Sell off anything you don't use on a regular basis. Even go with candlelight over using lamps at times.

You can do it!

I moved to Charlotte, NC and we had a crappily insulated apartment AND little-to-no budget for utilities...add to that, my bedroom was on the outside wall, so it was usually 10-20 degrees colder in my room that in the rest of the apartment.

The very BESTBESTBEST thing I ever purchased was an electric blanket. It costs pennies to run and was deliciously warm, while the rest of the room was frigid.

We went to college in Chicago, where your snot freezes. We contemplated getting ski goggles because we were worried about eyes getting freeze burns/they hurt too much when exposed to winter air. At that point, you need *some* sort of heat source, and then some sweaters, socks, everything. But 55 is just dandy - you'll get used to it right quick...!

I live in central Texas and believe it or not it does get pretty cold during the winter months. Lower 30's from Dec. to Feb. One year in college my heat was broken and since I was just worried about paying the rent let alone a high utility bill, I just went without. I bundled up, ate lots of soup and found that turning the oven on during dinner made things pretty bearable.

Better than an electric blanket is an electric mattress pad.. safer, too, because you can't fold the pad while on the bed, so no hot spots.

Best purchase I ever made... apartment can get freezing, but I sleep warm!

Cat likes it, too.

I don't know where you live, but December without heat in most years in Boston would just not be rational. I prefer to be cool and I keep the thermostat at 60 most of the time (unless I have guests). But I gotta have SOME heat.

As long as you keep enough heat that the pipes don't freeze, it's all good.

I highly recommend sacrificing one pair of VERY cheap gloves to make fingerless gloves for use when you're typing on the computer. Absolutely essential.

I live in (cold, damp) Newfoundland, and I've tried getting really low on the thermostat. I find if it's too cold for me, it doesn't matter whether it's by one degree or ten. So adjust up and down to find what works for you. I'd rather turn it waaay back at night and when I'm out (10 celsius, 50 f), and keep it around 19 (66f) when I'm home and awake. I work more overtime in the winter, to save on home heat and to have more free time in the summer.
I don't understand the people who say setting the thermostat at 55f will make your pipes freeze. If you're home and running the water every day, it would need to get really really cold in your house before that would happen. Unless you have terrible insulation and a broken thermostat.
That said, I agree with the other posters who say that there are many other (better?) ways to save/earn a little cash. I'm just cheap!

I am in Saint Paul, MN. There's no way I can live with my thermostat less set less than 70 degrees. Winter is too cold and too long to do such foolishness.

My heat is already on (set to 71 degrees).

I live in Michigan, so needless to say it gets very cold here - often for near half the year.

I keep doors closed to all the rooms except the main rooms we're using in the day, generally the kitchen and living room. We keep the thermostat low, and use an electric space heater in the living room. Also, a hot water bottle at the foot of the bed. That seems to keep the bed warm until morning, and I, for one, can't seem to fall asleep when my feet are frozen.

I"ll agree to turning down the heat...though not much below the low 60s - however the best trick I used during undergrad/grad school was one of those microwavable rice bags. 5 min in the microwave gave me hours of lap warmth for studying and made for an incredibly toasty bed when I finally stumbled into it. And considering I made it myself it was even more cost efficent!!!

though @ skittles_aptB, Santa brought an electric mattress pad last year - and I'm considering it the greatest invention ever. Help keeps the heating bill low, and my toes extra snuggly

I went to college (and still live) in Michigan. Our motto was that a bottle of wine is cheaper than turning the heat up :) But seriously, it is definitely doable. Now I have a programmed thermostat and do 63 during the day and 59 at night (and have about a million blankets on my bed). Also, in the winter instead of a top sheet, I use a fleece or wool blanket instead. It warms me up, and I fall asleep much easier.

you're out of your mind. there are better ways to save money. i spent two winters in an apartment with sporadic and insufficient steam heat. it was miserable and embarrassing. year three the super came up to fix a window, unclamped something from one of the pipes and suddenly i had a toasty apartment. why couldn't he have resolved that years ago?

my mom refused to turn on the heat before 11/15 every year. then she'd only allow 68 degrees. i sweatered and tea-ed my ass off. used a blow dryer to heat the air before getting dressed (same as in college). tea has a powerful diaretic effect on me.

don't do this to yourself.

I live in Quebec, Canada and when I lived at my parents, the temperature was set to 50 when we were out and 55 when we were in. Very rarely, when the cold would go down to, say -40, we'd set the temperature to 60.

Nowadays I live SO and while he enjoys the cold, he apparently doesn't like it as much as I do. Still, the thermostat is set to maybe 55 at all time (including during the day for the dog) and he raises it up a little in the office even if his computer produces enough warmth to heat the whole place IMO. We also raise the temp a little when we're expecting friends, else they freeze.

My first winter on my own in a cold climate (I grew up in Southern California, moved to Ohio), I turned off my heat in February because I was going to be out of the house for 6 days and I wanted to save energy. (It wasn't even a money thing! Heat was included in my rent.) So I turned the heat totally off, went to work, and then promptly got stuck in a huge snowstorm on my way to my boyfriend's house in another city.

When I told my mother my great idea for saving energy, she nearly had a heart attack.

I had no idea that a) pipes could freeze or that b) they are more likely to freeze when you're in a studio guesthouse with no interior walls - so all of your pipes run through the exterior walls.

Thank God I had friends nearby who stopped by to turn off the water and open the faucets, so my apartment wouldn't flood. But I'm pretty sure I lost money and energy on the repairs to replace the broken pipes.

That being said, nowadays we keep our apartment at around 62F - 65F in the winter, a little higher when guests are here. It's a little chilly for my SoCal blood (my partner is from Minnesota, and doesn't mind a bit), but we use space heaters in the bedroom, plastic the windows, and we just got thermal curtains for this winter.

I'm in the same boat as Trish1980 - any lower than 60 degrees and I'd violate the lease. Plus I'd be paying for all the work needed to the pipes in the apartment building. I would guess that to be at thousands where leaving my heat at 60 degrees merely costs a few dollars more.

All of you should consider moving to Florida so you can wonder why department stores are carrying sweaters in September when it's 90 degrees out and The idea of feeling comfortable in a house at 55 degrees is not dandy because that's probably colder than it is outside. I've enjoyed reading your posts, but I certainly cannot relate. You probably wouldn't need either AC or Heat here. I'm just saying...move to Florida and save a few bucks when your lease is up!

My parents have a house on long island and they keep it at 50 degrees throughout the winter. It's ridiculously, stupid cold. But, they love it and insist that they "can't go back" and that they like wearing multiple pairs of fleece pants, socks and sweaters. When my husband and I visit, they will up it to 55 if we beg, which is still ridiculously cold. Maybe they're just old and their nerves don't register the real temperature, but they've done it for years and they've had no problems with burst pipes or frostbite (50 is still well above freezing, so that doesn't really surprise me). If you do go for it, get yourself one of those cushion seat covers for your toilet. Just trust me.

I was able to shave 80 bucks off my winter utilities by keeping the heat @ 55 which i will warn you in the dead of Dec (in KS at least) was HARD! those mornings i hated leaving my heated blanket (highly recommended) or stepping out of the hot shower back into the main apartment...ouch! i recommend lots of blankets every where, hot drinks, warm dinners. I rigged EVERYTHING to a power srtip so at night or when i left for the day all i had to do was flip a switch and unplug one item not them all. I also used a toaster oven which kept me from using the power greedy gas oven. Installing a dimmer switch helped but didn't work with the new Green bulbs. I also went without tv or cable. on really cold nights...i spent time at the coffee shop down the street until they closed for the free heat :) Good Luck!!! I'm sure you'll have numerous stories to share!

oops i meant the electric oven

Growing up in NH, Dad kept the house at 60 during the day and 55 at night. Really didn't affect me at all, as my bedroom was in the unheated attic. After you get into a bed with two wool blankets and a down comforter and flannel sheets while wearing thermal long johns and flannel PJs and a fleece jacket, you are warm enough, but you can't move enough to roll over.

Here in the Boston area, I keep the heat at 60 during the day and 55 at night (my lease requires a minimum of 55). I work from home and use a space heater in my home office to bring the temperature up to 65 during the day. The office is also the room that gets the most sun, so on sunny winter days I sometimes don't even need the space heater.

I estimate that the space heater costs about $50 per month for December, January and February (which are the only months I need it). But it allows me to get one less oil tank fill-up, which generally runs about $400. So I'm looking at about $250 in savings, while never really being cold.

It also makes a difference who is living below me. The year the people from Georgia were there, I had days I didn't need to turn the heat up from 55 at all, and the apartment was a cozy 62. The year the people from Alaska were there and didn't heat the apartment much at all, I used a lot more oil.

In some newer, more air-tight buildings, cooler temps may cause problems in the winter, but not in this 1920s house. Even when the people downstairs decided not to fill the oil tank all last winter and only used a space heater in their living room, they didn't get frozen pipes. It can happen, but usually not if the house is 20 degrees above freezing, unless the pipes are all run on exterior walls with no insulation.

There are so many fixed costs--rent or mortgage, cable TV, phone plans, etc.--that I like to play around with the flexible costs for things like electricity, gas (both for my stove and for my car), food and the like to see what I can save and how much it hurts to save that way. If you don't need to have a very warm house, you can save on heat in the winter. If you can stand the heat in the summer, you don't need air conditioning.

I am literally laughing out loud at some of the responses here, as I can relate! I, too, had a father who advised we "put some clothes on!" whenever we complained of how cold he kept the house. I've always loved the feeling of having on as little as practical in my own home, and lived the good life during my days of "all utilities included" in my apartments. Now that I have a home? My boyfriend and visiting friends some like a chorus of my brother and I because the temp is never below 78 in the summer (I'll go 75 at night only because we had so many 90 + days and nights this year), or above 63 in the winter.

I adjusted this when I had a roomate, so that she could also be comfortable. I could have died one month when we got a $600 electric bill without even being home much during the holiday month! But once you factor in plugged appliances, two women washing and drying clothes and hair, and heating the house, you'd be suprised how it adds up. I now move my thermostat for no one's comfort or peace of mine but my own. It is programmed at bare minimum, and guests are welcome to grab a blanket if desired. Even the dog's learned to chalk it up. I've got a girlfriend who barely kept her pipes from freezing as we sat snowed in during "Snomageddon" last winter. I strive to be more like her in my conservation! LOL!

BTW, i do clip coupons, cook at home, grill rather than use the oven, and have nixed cable and the internet. But there's a difference between saving money on a continual expense and just not spending it to begin with- mainly, that you usually find something else to spend it on, so it doesn't truly count as saving.

In most apartment buildings here in Boston, heat is included in your rent, which means they're pretty stingy about it and you have no control in your own apartment. Last night I had to get out my sleeping bag to be comfortable vegging out in my living room, because the three blankets I had on weren't enough. On the other hand, there were also days last winter when we (guiltily) had to open the windows to the frigid air to let out some of the heat before we baked. So...just be glad you have a choice.