With the cold days ahead, heating systems are in full swing. Some people are therefore horrified at the thought of heating costs. But that doesn’t have to be the case: With a few tricks, you can reduce your heating costs without much effort. Incidentally, this is not only good for the household budget, but also for the environment, says energy consultant Maja Oldenburg from the Lower Austrian Energy and Environment Agency (eNu).
Tip 1: Ventilate properly
Correct ventilation is a key lever for saving energy and thus reducing heating costs – in concrete terms, it can save up to 30 percent energy. But how do you ventilate properly? Shock ventilation instead of tilting is the motto in this case. “If windows are left open for hours on end, a lot of heat is lost,” says Oldenburg. At the same time, walls, floors and furniture cool down considerably and radiate this cooler temperature back into the room. Both of these factors mean that more heating is ultimately required to achieve a room temperature that is perceived as comfortable.
It is better to open the windows fully for short periods several times a day. “Shock ventilation and, above all, cross-ventilation instead of constantly tilted windows ensure a rapid exchange of air without the walls, floor and furniture cooling down too much,” says Oldenburg.
Tip 2: Lower the shutters!
However, there are other ways to reduce heating costs at the windows: “If you have roller shutters, close them at night,” advises the energy consultant. The reason is easy to explain: even through closed windows and doors, room heat can escape. “However, when the shutters are closed, an air cushion forms between them and the windows,” explains Oldenburg. This ultimately helps to reduce heat loss.
Tip 3: Don’t give draughts a chance
You don’t even need to ventilate to bring fresh air into your rooms, as it enters through leaky windows and doors anyway? In this case, you should seal them as soon as possible, especially if you want to reduce your heating costs. You can find self-adhesive sealing tapes and various other options for this at DIY stores, for example.
Tip 4: Keep radiators clear
If you want to keep your heating costs low, you should also take care of your radiators. Ideally, this means bleeding them before the start of the heating season, but at the latest when there is a gurgle in the heat source. This is because the more air there is in the radiator, the more energy it needs to heat up to the set temperature. Venting pays off: This alone can reduce your heating costs by up to 15 percent.
However, the radiators should not only be kept free of air, but generally kept clear. “If the curtains are too long or the radiators are covered by furniture, heat dissipation is reduced. The objects in front of the radiators represent a resistance that has to be compensated for by higher temperatures of the circulating heating water,” explains Oldenburg. Only when the radiators are free can heat enter the room unhindered. “This means that the flow temperature, i.e. the temperature of the water in the heating pipes leading to the radiators, can be lowered,” says Oldenburg. According to the energy consultant, this measure can save up to 30 percent of energy.
Tip 5: It can also be cooler!
Before you tear off your sweater from the heat and lie on the sofa in just a T-shirt, it’s better to turn down the heating. “Every degree less room temperature saves up to six percent energy, depending on the climatic conditions,” says Oldenburg. You should also consider whether every room really needs to be heated to the same degree. Radiator thermostats make it easy to set the desired room temperature.
These tips will help you to reduce your heating costs in the short term. However, if you are aiming for a long-term solution, there is no way around a thermal renovation.
Reduce heating costs: Our expert
To the website: www.enu.at
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