Renters facing another cold winter have fewer options than homeowners, but experts say the right moves can still cut heating costs without touching a single wall.
Quick Take
- Architecture and engineering experts say renters can save money through thermostat changes, layering clothing, and sealing drafts, even without landlord approval.
- Lowering the thermostat is one of the simplest, most direct ways to cut energy use, according to a Syracuse University engineering professor.
- Roughly 30% of a home’s heating and cooling energy escapes through windows, making sealing a high-value, low-cost fix.
- Window heat pumps can supplement central heat in a single room, but tenants should check who pays the electric bill first.
What Renters Can Actually Control This Winter
Renters often can’t rip out old windows or add insulation to the walls. Nicholas Rajkovich, an associate professor of architecture at the University at Buffalo, says that’s just reality for most tenants. But he’s quick to add that plenty of smaller fixes still work inside a rented space. “There certainly are things that you can try to do inside an apartment or a house that you’re renting,” he says.
Those smaller fixes start with the thermostat. Ian Shapiro, a professor of practice in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Syracuse University, puts it plainly: turning the temperature down saves energy, full stop. “Setting the temperature lower will save energy,” he says. It costs nothing, takes five seconds, and works the moment you touch the dial.
Small Habits Add Up Faster Than People Expect
Wearing an extra sweater, pulling out a blanket, and skipping heat in rooms nobody uses are not glamorous tips. But Rajkovich calls them “very inexpensive ways to save some money,” and he’s right that they require zero investment. Renters who control their own thermostat can also shut heat off entirely when they leave for the day, though anyone in a building with shared or older plumbing should think twice before letting indoor temperatures drop too far during a deep freeze.
Independent research backs the basic logic of turning heat down, even if real-world results vary by building. A study at the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology found measurable winter savings from nighttime and away-from-home setbacks, while a separate field evaluation across occupied apartments measured average heating and cooling savings near 9.5%. The lesson for renters: setbacks work, but how much they save depends on the building, the weather, and how consistently the habit sticks.
Sealing Windows Delivers Outsized Returns
Windows are where rental apartments bleed the most heat. The TIME report notes that roughly 30% of a home’s heating and cooling energy escapes through windows, making simple sealing one of the highest-value projects a renter can tackle without a toolbox full of permits. Weatherstripping, draft snakes, and plastic film kits cost a few dollars at any hardware store and install in an afternoon, no landlord sign-off required.
Supplemental Heaters Come With a Catch
A window heat pump sounds like an easy upgrade. It moves heat rather than generating it, which makes it efficient, and it doubles as an air conditioner come summer. But there’s a financial trap buried in most lease arrangements. Many renters pay their own electric bill while the landlord covers central heat, meaning a tenant-funded heat pump could raise a renter’s own costs even as it saves energy for the building overall. Check your lease and your utility setup before buying one.
The Bigger Picture for Cold-Weather Renters
None of this changes the structural reality that landlords control the biggest levers: insulation, window quality, and the heating system itself. Rajkovich’s observation about limited renter control over design isn’t a complaint, it’s a fact of how rental housing works. That’s exactly why these smaller, renter-driven habits matter so much. They’re the one part of the winter heating bill a tenant actually gets to decide.
For most renters, the smartest winter strategy combines all of it: a slightly lower thermostat setting, sealed windows, layered clothing, and a clear-eyed look at whether a supplemental heater actually saves money under their specific lease. None of these steps require a landlord’s permission or a renovation budget. They just require a little effort before the next cold snap hits.
With energy prices on the rise, heating your home might be more expensive this winter season—especially for renters who can’t readily make big changes to their home to better prepare for the cold. https://t.co/S0HIcyIxP3
— TIME (@TIME) November 9, 2026
Energy prices aren’t dropping anytime soon, and renters have historically had the least flexibility to respond. Taking the handful of actions actually within reach, instead of waiting on a landlord upgrade that may never come, is the most practical path through another expensive heating season.
