<p>Even if this room mate turns the heat off in his own room, it probably isn’t going to save a lot if the other heaters are working overtime to heat the entire space. Even if he thinks he is using less, he’s still using heat, and creating an expense that should be shared by all. </p>
<p>Throwing another virtual log into the fire, err the argument. There’s a base service fee for the electric service (here it’s about $50-60) and then the actual electric usage on top of that. While we are prorating, don’t forget that! (If the bill is split 50/50 who cares, but if roomie only wants to pay nothing for his room and a shared portion for the common rooms, he still has to pay 50/50 for the service charge.) Grrrr.</p>
<p>I think it’s important to know whether this is something new, or whether it’s the latest chapter in a dispute over how the thermostat should be set.</p>
<p>They would have had at least two electric bills by now, Aug, Sept, Oct. So they can figure out an average amount for basic electricity usage so far ( no heat). Then when it increases in the next months they can work out the heating part of the bill somehow. If roommate agrees on paying half, fine, but if he doesn’t is it feasible for Op’s son to move out or find another roommate? I was only suggesting a possible compromise addressing the increase in bill by heating, I did not say roommate doesn’t have to pay half of regular bill.</p>
<p>A good thing to tell our kids before they decide to room with someone is to discuss how expenses and chores are to be split, and rules on house guests.</p>
<p>Certainly it’s possible to have a discussion about temp. I keep our house around 66 in winter. If money is an issue, and it sounds like it is, no reason they can’t work out some compromise on temp…it doesn’t kill my kids to use blankets at night and wear long sleeves/sweatshirts in the house.</p>
<p>It’s interesting to me when adult kids involve their parents in conflicts with their friends.
Neither of mine ever did, although youngest lived in four different places while she was in school. ( dorm was only freshman year)
Is OPs son a college student?</p>
<p>How big is the building? When my son was living in a small apartment in a large building, he quite literally never turned on the heat—and it was plenty warm in his apartment, which faced south, gathered sun warmth all day, and was insulated top, bottom, and both sides by other apartments. </p>
<p>
I don’t think telling your parents about something like this, or even asking their advice, is involving them. I wish my dad were still around for me to consult.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider…if the roommate really keeps his room at freezing temps, the cold will actually affect the amount of energy it takes to heat adjacent rooms. Is he willing to pick up the difference? In other words, if roommates room is 45 degrees, it’s going to take more to hear adjacent areas to 65. And every time roommate opens his door, a blast of cold air will permeate the rest of the apartment. </p>
<p>Also, I’m guessing roommate expects that the bathrooms will be a tad warmer!</p>
<p>Is he ok with cold showers? </p>
<p>My dad hasn’t been around since I was 17, so yes, I would agree that I wish he was still around.
But I do think that when you have a parent who feels they need to solve all or at least many problems, that telling them is the same as involving them. </p>
<p>If they are living in an apt or condo, it’s possible this won’t be much of an issue.
My mothers condo building was well insulated, with heated common areas, and she rarely needed to even turn on her heat at all, albeit it was in Bellevue Wa, and not St. Paul, MN.</p>
<p>When my D lived in a house with roommates, they each had a utility or rent in their name, then costs were split every month. It seems easier with just two roommates, but it is unclear if the issue is that the other roomie doesn’t have the money, or if he feels the rooms are being kept warmer than necessary.
It will be a long winter, I hope they reach some compromise soon.</p>
<p>To answer the original question, he should sit down and discuss it with his roommate. What is the real issue here? Does the roommate like a cool house, say 60-63, and your S cranks the heat up to 75? Is the roommate hard-pressed financially? They can achieve a compromise for the common rooms. If one is living in a cold climate, one should be prepared to wear a sweater indoors, but also prepared to use <em>some</em> heat. </p>
<p>Maybe the roommate thinks that the place will be warm enough without ever turning on the heat: that’s true of plenty of apartments. Maybe they can agree to wait and see. Obviously, they have to split the regular electricity. Do they have some way of determining what portion is heat, other thancalculataing the difference between September and December? (This is going to be inexact, since the lights are also on much more in the winter.)</p>
<p>Have they lived together before? Has either of them spent the winter in this particular apartment?</p>
<p>My S rarely tells me anything like this, but maybe he’s just been comparatively lucky. The only reason I knew about the heat situation in his sublet was that I stayed there one or two nights when moving him in and getting things situated. (It was his first totally independent living situation. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been allowed to do that! 
)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. My DS is living with this guy for the first time and did not know eachother before. But they agreed to split everything. Now the guy is saying that he is not going to use any heat in his room all winter. He hasn’t said so, but my DS anticipates that the roommate will say he does not want to pay as much for heat since my son does put the heat on in his room but wears sweatshirts and does not make it terribly warm. But they do need heat this winter!</p>
<p>You can tell your DS that, sadly, temperature power struggles continue even in marriage. </p>
<p>There are generally rules about minimum temperatures maintained in an apartment during the winter. Look up the city housing code. If it’s illegal for a landlord to collect rent if the apartment is too cold, and the apartment is uninhabitable as a matter of law below that temperature, then that’s a pretty strong argument on behalf of the heat-seeking roommate.</p>
<p>Give the roommate the ice bucket treatment in the middle of the night and then see what tune she or he sings.</p>
<p>I am suspecting that the roomie is struggling with rent and thinks this “solution” will help his budget in the winter…however, he hasn’t thought this thru…cold showers, washing clothes (if there is a W/D in the apt), fridge, stove and a whole bunch of other energy uses. </p>
<p>And, depending on where they live, they can’t let things get too cold…the pipes could freeze.</p>
<p>I do think a compromise needs to be had. The roomie could fear that the OP’s son is going to run the heat too much and drive up the bill. Does their thermostat have programmable settings? Those can cut costs. If they keep their thermostat at around 68, it will still be cool, but it won’t be freezing. </p>
<p>I know that my younger son was annoyed that one of his housemates kept the AC too low and they had outrageous electric bills because of it…and it’s not fair to split costs when one person is abusing the situation by using too much and causing others to help pay. </p>
<p>Some things never change. </p>
<p>The apartment is heated with electric heat and there are separate heaters in every room. My DS only turns on the heater in his room and not very high…then turns it off when he is not home. </p>
<p>The roommate is saying that he is not going to turn on the heater in his room at all all winter (which is unbelievable as they live in an area which gets very cold). </p>
<p>My DS feels that the roommate is setting things up by saying he is not turning on the heater in his room at all so that the roommates argument is going to be that he should pay less electric bill because he does not use any heat. </p>