I just took over a friend's 1br apartment a couple months ago. I'm going month-to-month because I was planning on moving, but I'm starting to like the place. My landlord has been really nice so far, and the rent is cheap for what I get.
But I'm realizing a problem now. The building appears not to have any central heating. There are no vents in my apartment, aside from the fans above the oven and the shower. The only sources of heat are three space heater things attached to the baseboards in different parts of the apartment.
The outside temp hasn't gotten below 35 yet this year, and it's already sometimes very cold in here without turning on the heaters. But I checked with my friend who lived here before, and she said that turning the heaters on only when she was awake and at home raised her electricity bill by nearly $100.
Not only that, but because they're electric coil heaters, I'm pretty sure they're a fire hazard, and I don't feel comfortable having them on when I'm asleep or away from the place. But that means I wake up freezing and come home to a frozen apartment.
I'm not sure there's much I can do in this situation, but I thought I'd ask for any advice you folks might have. The fact that I'll be paying $100+ for heating per month is more than irritating, but the safety and comfort issues worry me even more. Is there anything I can do here?