Your apartment is hotter than outside primarily because of trapped solar heat and poor insulation. Sunlight passing through windows creates a "greenhouse effect," warming up floors and furniture. Once this heat is trapped inside, the walls and roof absorb it, causing the apartment to act like an oven.
72 degrees is generally a comfortable indoor temperature for many households during warmer months. It balances comfort and energy efficiency, though ideal settings may vary by home insulation and humidity levels.
Main Takeaways
To answer, “why is my apartment so hot?” Common causes of heat buildup – Top-floor units, poor ventilation, direct sunlight, old buildings with poor insulation, and even neighboring heating systems can make an apartment feel excessively warm.
10 tips for quickly cooling down your apartment when it's very...
6 simple ways to keep you and your home cool
The 3-minute rule is a simple but important guideline: wait at least three minutes after turning your air conditioner off before turning it back on. That short pause gives the refrigerant pressure in the system time to equalize.
It takes time for your home to warm up and cool down. If you're not sure how long it takes, try turning the heating on about 30 minutes before you need it. You should turn it off 30 minutes before you'll stop needing it.
Whether 75 degrees is a "good" temperature depends on your personal comfort, as it is on the warmer side for winter. While it will keep you cozy, it will also lead to higher energy bills and can put extra strain on your heating system.
It's better to leave interior doors open when heating your home. Open doors allow warm air to circulate evenly, preventing hot and cold spots and reducing the strain on your HVAC system. Closed doors can block airflow, making your system work harder and increasing energy costs.
Your apartment is likely hot despite the cold weather due to trapped heat and poor airflow. Common culprits include excessive solar heat gain (sunlight heating up your windows), heat rising from units below you, and modern, airtight insulation that traps warmth from appliances, lighting, and your body.
Many Amish homes are built with plenty of windows to help circulate the air and bring in the cooler overnight temperatures. They open the windows on the top floors to help the heat escape while the family retreats to the lower grounds within their homes for comfort.
Extreme heat is the leading weather-related killer, causing more fatalities each year globally and in the United States than all other extreme weather events—such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods—combined.
The state should consider a general maximum safe indoor air temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27.8 degrees Celsius) for residential dwelling units.
While 72 degrees is a popular choice among homeowners, it's actually lower than what's recommended for energy efficiency. The Department of Energy suggests setting your thermostat to 78 degrees during the summer months.
Space heaters
One small space heater plugged in 8 hours a day can add about $50 to your monthly electric bill. Space heaters are a great way to increase the temperature in one room for a short period of time, but keep in mind that they can be costly to run and will result in a higher bill.
The largest source of heat loss in a typical house is uncontrolled air leakage (drafts), accounting for up to 38% of lost heat. Warm air escapes through hidden cracks and gaps, while the following structural areas are the primary culprits for escaping warmth:
It is generally better to keep the doors open unless you have an HVAC system designed for zoning. Open doors will improve airflow and ensure consistent temperatures across different rooms. Closed doors block airflow to the central return vent and force the system to work harder.
In most climates, heating a house is more expensive than cooling it because generating heat requires significantly more energy than removing it. Heating your home typically costs more because of the larger temperature gap between the indoors and outdoors during winter compared to summer, plus the energy required to actively create heat.
The Short Answer Is: Yes! Lowering a thermostat by one degree can save you money on your heating or cooling bills. The exact savings depend on factors like climate, insulation, and the efficiency of your HVAC system, but it's estimated to reduce energy costs by around 1-3% per degree for each 8-hour period.
Yes, 62°F (16.7°C) is widely considered cold for a house. While it is a great temperature for sleeping or saving on energy bills, most experts—including the World Health Organization—recommend indoor living temperatures of at least 64°F to 65°F to avoid long-term health risks.
It typically takes 1 to 4 hours to cool a house from 80°F to 72°F. A standard HVAC system cools at a rate of about 1 to 2 degrees per hour.
In most homes, Heating and Cooling (HVAC) systems drive the highest energy costs, accounting for nearly 40% to 50% of your total electricity bill. Following these, the appliances that run up your bill the most include water heaters, refrigerators, and laundry machines.
For most customers, we recommend turning on your furnace when the weather is consistently below 18° Celsius, which usually happens to be around the end of September, or early October. Some homeowners try to put off turning on their furnace as long as they can to save money, which is okay if you're healthy adults.