Methods for Making Cold Apartments Warmer

For the past week, the thermometer on my travel alarm clock has been steadily decreasing one-two degrees per day.

At first, when the weather turned more winter-like, the temperature stayed steady at 68 degrees F. That's the temperature my parents set their thermostat at for the night. So 68 F is not totally warm, but it's not cold either. I can deal with 68 F.

Yesterday, though I woke up at 62 F, and throughout the day, it dropped to 58 F. It was 57 F when I woke up this morning. This is too cold. I need to be able to type in my apartment. I'm a writer. Driving gloves are not typeable. I cannot deal with 58 F inside my home.

So here are the methods I have used to attempt to raise the temperature inside cold apartments:

1. Space heater. Good for sitting in front of, but not good for moving around. Raises temperature of one closed-off room 5 degrees if runs for over an hour or two. Drawback: electric bill increases significantly.

2. Baking. Good for two reasons: a) you move around, generating heat inside your own body (studying does not do this), b) you eat something yummy. Raises temperature of living room and kitchen an undeclared degree amount--but more than enough to take the chill out of the air. Drawback: No studying gets done and your waist gains an inch.

3. Leaving apartment and running down the stairs in the apartment building and back up. Good for ten minutes of body warmth. Benefit: exercise is good. Drawback: not a permanent solution.

4. Candles. No degree difference. Benefit--nice ambiance. Drawback--curious cat.

5. Long hot showers. Again, raises body temperature. Benefits: Relaxing. Possibly raise temperature of bedroom and bathroom one degree. Drawbacks: also not a permanent solution--there's a limit to how many showers one can take in a day!

6. Yoga asanas. A full hour of yoga raises room temperature one degree. Raises body heat. Relaxing. Drawback: takes time.

7. (the perfect number) Call Landlord and inquire as to the nature of the heating system in your building. She says she'll look into it. When no change, call again the next day--just to check. Discover there was something wrong with your apartment, and you should see an improvement by 5pm. Benefits: degree should raise substantially. Eventually, I should be able to have control over the temperature in my apartment. Drawback: you have to call. 

I'm waiting eagerly, still huddled in front of the space heater! Current apartment temperature: 61 F and climbing. Hooray!