People blame me for leeching my neighbors’ heat. They have it backward.
I live in a big apartment building. The building has central air and heating. I stopped using either. Five of the six sides of my apartment face the rest of the building, so my apartment mostly doesn’t face the elements.
Some people say that configuration means I’m “stealing” heat from my neighbors in the winter and coolness in the summer. They have it backward. Since I keep my windows closed, most heat loss or coolness loss is through conduction, which depends on the temperature difference between my windows and the outside. Since my windows are closer in temperature to the ambient temperature outside, my apartment loses less heat or coolness, therefore requiring less of the heating/cooling system.
Since all residents pay for heat and cool equally, my net effect is to lower the building’s overall costs and energy use.
I write this point now after years of living it because I recently unsealed the cracks that wind gets through on my windows. Everyone in the building has the same windows. I understand they’re all about equally drafty. I cover the holes during the winter with tape (from a roll of moving tape that I found when picking up litter, so didn’t buy).
The temperature difference with and without the tape is big, bigger than I expected. I expect most people in the building just turn the heat up, not seal their windows more. So by sealing better because I don’t use the heat, I’m saving more energy. I also appreciate the value of heating and cooling more. I don’t just take them for granted.
I don’t pretend I’ve found the ultimate solution. I’m showing that the average person, motivated, can reduce how much they are hurting other people without changing their lives much. I didn’t prepare. I just acted. Nothing beats Hands-On Practical Experience. Not complaining, blaming, pointing fingers, making excuses, etc.
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