So my roommate insists that leaving his ceiling fan on while he's not home keeps the room cool.

WTH.

I've tried to explain to him that fans don't remove heat from the air, and the only way to actually benefit from their effect is to be in the room.

But every day, he'll go out and leave like two fans on in his room. Every day. I'm wondering how much this is adding to our electric bill.

 

Why don't you go into his room everyday after he leaves and turn them off? Then before he comes back turn them back on? That way, you win and he wins.

 

I considered that, and did it once, but I don't like the idea of going into his room. That's his space and he doesn't come into my room. Granted, I shut off everything in my room when I leave.

Also, I'm not home when he gets home usually.

 

Well then, nag him until he stops or stop caring.

 

His brother, a professor assistant from a major university here in Florida, came into town and is staying with us. He walked into my roommate's room and made a comment about him leaving the fans on.

My roommate insisted that he read on the power company's website that this helps keep his room cool by circulating the air. His brother explained to him how fans work and how all he's doing is wasting our money.

They went back and forth until my roommate decided to stop listening.

So I just took it upon myself to find a bunch of info online about it and email him with the links. In the email, I told him that if all this info doesn't convince him to shut off his fans when he's not home, then I'll go into his room and do it for him.

 

the room won't be stuffy when he walks into it

:tape

duct tape rules!

 

Sounds like you've done everything you can and your roommate is stupid.

 

I'm looking at the energy company's website now and I can't find any advice saying that he should leave fans on.

I did, however, find this. It's a break down of how much every appliance in your apartment costs you to run.

 

So it's costs you 1 cent an hour, 24 cents a day, and $7.20 a month. (If he leaves it on constantly.) Just make him pay an extra $7.20 a month if it really bothers you that much.

 

I agree. It isn't worth having a major fight about, and that's a fair compromise.

 

And since he leaves a ceiling fan and a portable fan on all day, that amount is really $14.40/month!

Which means that I pay an extra $7.20 a month when I pay half the electric bill! ARGH.

 

No, this in itself isn't worth fighting over, but added to the fact that he has a real problem cleaning up after himself (the kitchen is often filthy and I usually clean up after him until I finally snap and start yelling), and the fact that he accidentally leaves lights on when no one's home, or that he doesn't always close the dryer door all the way (which leaves the light on), gets me kind of annoyed.

 

Challenge him to a duel.

 

I leave my fan on and the door open to circulate the air, but my room's ventilation is broken.

Scummy

 

his door is usually closed

 

The person I was supposed to be rooming with got an off-campus apartment, so I have the room to myself until room consolidation. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

 

I feel your pain. This reminds me of my "roomate". He constantly leaves the fan on in rooms he is not in. I do just shut them off though.

lol, even if he did, he should weigh in the fact that he read it on the power company's website.

 

indeed!

 

You could...call...for a vote of no confidence on your roommate's behalf.

OR

Rip the ceiling fan down and leave it on his bed.

 

For me, my fan is a bit of a OCD thing. I like having my fan on, I hate having a stale room, and I do realize the temperature doesn't change even if I get a wee bit more circulation. But I like having it on, and it pisses me off when people turn it off when I'm not around. Leave the roommate alone.

Scummy

 

I don't see why it would piss you off, though?

Would it be okay if your roommate allowed you to leave it on but then demanded that you pay a bigger chunk of the power bill for it?

 

Valyn, you get upset over the most petty details. Let it be. What's the big deal?

 

I bet if your roommate was attractive you wouldn't be having this problem.

 

I am kind of anal and high maintenance. And superficial.

The big deal is that I just don't see the point of unnecessarily wasting electricity and money (however little).

 

Then live by yourself.

If you're going to have a roommate, and you want to have a peaceful time of it, you have to get over stuff like this.