<p>He has to split the bill…what a joke. And he would be benefiting from their heaters keeping his room warmer and the common areas. Electric bills always have a base charge too and if they turn everything off and they are going to have a big problem with pipes freezing. Replacing pipes behind drywall is not going to be cheap. I asked my daughter what she left the heat at when she came home for Christmas break last year. She wasn’t the last to leave so she texted the roommate who was there last. She had turned the heat OFF!! My daughter quickly called the landlord who luckily was in town(or we would have been driving there!) and he went and turned it on. Kids don’t always understand the ins and outs of home ownership!</p>
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<p>We keep our house at 60-62. I’m just sayin’. :)</p>
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<p>I live in Maine, and I never turn on the radiator in my bedroom. The door is open during the day, closed at night. I realize that I am at one end of the spectrum on the room temperature issue. My years at a British boarding school left me with, among other lasting things, a preference for cool rooms and the habit of crossing my sevens. :)</p>
<p>The roommate has not yet said he doesn’t want to pay for heat? Then let’s hope he doesn’t do it. I think he’s worried about the cost, but the proper thing to do would be to discuss it with your S and figure out ways to save $$. When my S was looking for rentals in northern New England, we ruled out anything that looked like it would cost an additional couple of hundred to heat each month. And that is not at all uncommon. I think he may be right to be worried. Did they ask how much the heating bills usually ran? Sometimes that info is given.</p>
<p>Yes, you are at the other end of the spectrum!! brr!!! 60-62!</p>
<p>lol, your son should ask him why he should care if he uses the heat in his room or not. His share of the bill is 50 percent. Maybe the kid can find an illegal unheated basement to rent alone in the future. Meanwhile he is stuck in the civilized world where roommates split utilities unless prior arrangements are made. He is also free not to use the outlets, lights or fridge or hot water but his share is still half. He does not get to unilaterally make up his own rules.</p>
<p>Has my ice bucket solution been tried yet?</p>
<p>Well, if the heaters are in each room, then there really is no way to really know if the roomie does turn his on during some very cold nights…which I suspect he will. </p>
<p>Again, I think this is a case where the roomie is barely affording rent and fears that he won’t be able to pay half of the electric bill. </p>
<p>My husband gets very frustrated with me because I prefer cooler temps in the winter than he does. I’m going to tell him about the poster who keeps their house 60-62 so that my preference for 68-69 doesn’t seem so extreme to him! </p>
<p>So their bill will be lower if they keep the heat low, but the roommie doesnt get to arbitrarily’, unilaterally renegotiate the living/utilities arrangement. Blow the BS whistle at that one.</p>
<p>Maybe the roomie just said it in passing. Maybe he said it as a way of signalling that he was hoping to keep the heat costs down. Of course, it would be preferable for him to just address the issue directly, but lots of kids–and older people! 
--do not have the skills to discuss/negotiate something like this in a way that doesn’t provoke hostility. Ultimately, he is responsible for half the electric bill, no matter what. </p>
<p>Did both of them sign the lease? Together or separately? Some electric utilities have plans where you can pay a set amount every month to stretch out the high winter costs and budget. But even then, there is a reading at the end of the year and there will be additional charges if it is over a certain threshold.</p>
<p>I find it very interesting to hear about different people’s temperature preferences!</p>
<p>I am a cold-weather person. I love seasons! I love winter! I love snow! I read the other thread where posters talked about winter starting early, and all I wanted to say was that I am thrilled that winter is coming! I also love doing outside activities in the winter.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, for all my love of the cold, I do NOT like it when it’s cold or even cool INSIDE in the winter. I like a warm house - at least 75 degrees, warm enough for me to be able to wear short sleeves and not bundle up (of course, one of my animals also needs a temperature of at least 70, so it’s essential, but even if she didn’t, I would want a warm house). I enjoy coming in from the crispy cold outside and lounging in a very warm room.</p>
<p>Anyways, I guess it just goes to show how different people are - it’s a good reminder to discuss this issue before rooming with anyone.</p>
<p>Oh, wow, another example of a freeloader! Good luck with that. 
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<p>You could also look into an energy meter to figure out the amount of kWh used by the roommate’s electric heater. However, it’s based on honesty system since the roommate can easily remove the device. Maybe, he can put a tamper-proof casing over it.
<a href=“http://www.smarthome.com/p3-international-p4400-kill-a-watt-energy-meter.html”>http://www.smarthome.com/p3-international-p4400-kill-a-watt-energy-meter.html</a></p>