Winter Home Versus Apartment Heating

Thinking about buying a home this year?

It’s an exciting and stressful time of life. Part of the stress involves the additional expenses that come with maintaining your home.

Does it make more sense to just stay in an apartment for another year or two? Or, can you go out and begin your American Dream?

Find out how heating a home and apartment compares.

Here’s a summary of the key points you’ll learn in this post:

1. Homes have greater square footage and usually cost more to heat
2. Apartments sometimes include the cost of heating in your rent
3. Homes are generally built with greater energy efficiency
4. Apartments may be laid out in a way that improves your energy efficiency
5. You have greater control over your heating in your home

And here’s the down-and-dirty details:

1. Space You Need to Heat

A starter home may run around 1,500 – 2,000 square feet. An apartment may run around 1,000 or so.

Your home will cost more to heat simply because it more than likely will be bigger than your apartment.

2. Paid Utilities

Does your current apartment lease include your heat? Could you move into another apartment with some utilities included?

You may not even have to think about the cost of your utilities with some apartments.

3. Layout and Configuration

In an apartment building, you may be surrounded on a couple sides by other apartments. That actually allows you to absorb some of the heat from other apartments, which reduces your utility bills.

Of course, you won’t run into that situation with a single family home.

4. Control

You have control over how you heat your home. In an apartment, you don’t.

You can’t install a new heating system or modify the one your apartment has.

And some apartment complexes actually charge you for utilities based on the size of the apartment, rather than actual usage.

5. Built for Energy-Efficiency?

The average home usually has better construction quality than the average apartment.

That means it will more than likely be insulated better. And there’s a good chance your home will have better energy efficiency.

But that’s not always the case.

Sometimes, even new homes can be built in energy-efficient ways. Make sure to have a home inspection done by an unquestionably good home inspector.

And ask to see the energy bills for the home you’re considering. You can also ask current apartment residents or the property manager to see their energy bills.

So Which is Better?

All these factors may or may not come into play when it comes to heating a home or apartment.

You have to investigate each and make the best decision based on the facts you find.