How to Save Money on Heating during Winter in Japan
Hokkaido, Japan can be cold in the winter. I managed to reduce my heating bill from around 13000 yen per month to just around 8000 yen without getting frozen just by doing these simple low cost tricks! In summary, you need to be able to keep all the heat inside your room. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be an expert in Thermodynamics to do these 6 simple tricks, all you need to do is time and trip to nearby 100 yen shop (and electronic shops).
1) Install bubble wrap on your window!
Average Cost: ￥200
Have some extra bubble wraps in your room? Don’t throw them away! You can stick them on your window during winter to keep more heat! Bubble wrap provides a great insulation from its air bubbles. Ever since I installed bubble wraps in all my windows, I felt the room is warmer, I could even walk around the room with short pants without turning on the heater! Don’t have any bubble wraps in your house? Don’t worry! you can actually buy them in some 100 yen shops!
2) Curtains!
Lowest Cost: ￥1200 ~ ￥1900
Yes, curtains! Curtains can also provide additional insulation during winter since most curtains are made of insulating materials. furniture shops in Japan also sells winter curtains, in which extra insulation are also embedded.
3) Carpet!
Lowest Cost: ￥1680 ~ ￥2700
Carpet can help insulating the floor from cold wave coming from the ground, especially if you live in the first floor! (This is why 1st floor rooms are usually cheaper in Japan). However if you are lucky, you can get free heating from people living below you, and carpet will help you conserve that heat! Keeping your feet warm will be so much comfortable during winter!
4) Setup temperature for Hot Water!
In order to heat 1 kg of water by 1 degree Celsius , around 4200 Joules of energy is needed, which means that the higher you set the temperature, the more energy you will spend! More energy = more money. I used to set the hot water temperature in 42 degrees, but ever since I set it up to only 38 degrees, my heating bills were also reduced significantly! Oh, and instead of turning on the hot water when washing dishes, I simply use rubber gloves.
5) Change your shower heads!!
Lowest Cost: ￥900 ~ ￥3200
Remember, more water means more energy, more energy means more money spent! Some shower heads have adjustable nozzle, in which the flow of water can be reduced. Less hot water means less money spent for heating! I remember that ever since my wife installed this on our shower room, our heating cost were reduced for that month! You can get this kind of shower head in some 2nd hand online shops in Japan!
6) Electric Heater ＋Humidifer Combo
Lowest Cost: ￥1200 ~ ￥4000
Heat itself is not enough, since it will dry the air in the room and can bring some health problem. Humid warm air is what you want, and that’s when heater and humidifier combo come into rescue! I always turn on both electric heater and humidifier in my room during the night, and in only 1 hour, the room temperature rose from 12 degrees to 15 degree! These electric heater and humidifier can be bought as cheap as 900 yen each in some 2nd hand online store in Japan!
These are six simple tricks to keep you warm in harsh winter of Hokkaido without spending too much money! These tricks may be affected by many different factors such as your building materials, room size, as well as how many people live in your place! But hey, these tricks worked well for me and my wife, and we live in 50 sqm 3LDK flat! Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any other tips you want to add or suggest to us!
