Heating a home is usually very expensive and puts a significant strain on the household budget. This is particularly noticeable in autumn and winter when it is essential to ensure adequate thermal comfort. It is therefore worth thinking about how to save money on heating. Check out these 8 ways to reduce your bills. You will see that it is not difficult at all.
Before you find out how to save money on heating, find out what the average costs are for providing heat in your house or flat. You will find an example calculation in the table below. It takes into account the different heat sources and the varying energy standards of the building. Find out how much you will pay to heat a 120 m2 house with 3 residents.
| Energy standard: 70 kWh/m2/year | Energy standard: 90 kWh/m2/year | Energy standard: 140 kWh/m2/year | Energy standard: 180 kWh/m2/year | |
| Natural gas condensing boiler | 1797 PLN | 2311 PLN | 3595 PLN | 4622 PLN |
| Condensing boiler for fuel oil | 3227 PLN | 4149 PLN | 6454 PLN | 8298 PLN |
| LPG condensing boiler | 3708 PLN | 4767 PLN | 7415 PLN | 9534 PLN |
| Condensing boiler for eco-pea coal | 1291 PLN | 1660 PLN | 2582 PLN | 3320 PLN |
| Electric heating | 4200 PLN | 5400 PLN | 8400 PLN | 108000 PLN |
| Heat pump | 933 PLN | 1200 PLN | 1867 PLN | 2400 PLN |
| Pellet boiler | 1460 PLN | 1878 PLN | 2921 PLN | 3755 PLN |
As you can see, the better the thermal insulation of the building, the lower the heating bills. The most cost-effective is undoubtedly the heat pump, which extracts energy from renewable sources and then passes it on to the heating system in the building. By far the most costly is heating the house with electric radiators. However, even in this situation, it is possible to save effectively on heating.
Heating expenses keep many owners of detached houses awake at night. The costs are high, especially when the weather conditions in autumn and winter are unfavorable. It is hard to predict what temperatures will prevail during these most difficult months, so everyone should know how to save on heating and reduce their bills. Some methods are seemingly insignificant changes, but, if implemented, can deliver the desired results. Take a look at each of them and consider which ways you can use them in your home too.
1. Do not cover radiators
Ensure that the radiators in your home are not covered or obstructed by furniture. This impedes proper air circulation and prevents heat from spreading freely around the room. It is therefore strongly discouraged to cover radiators and place furniture near them. If radiators are located next to windows, it is also advisable to avoid heavy and thick curtains. It is a good idea to keep a distance of at least 10 cm between the radiator and the obstruction.
A good idea on how to save on heating is also to install special aluminum mats on the wall behind the radiators. These reflect the heat and direct it towards the room. This not only speeds up the heating process but also minimizes the loss of heat that penetrates the walls. Such mats are not expensive, so it is worth installing them at least at some of the radiators
2. Think about replacing radiators
This mainly applies to older buildings with old-style radiators. It is also worth thinking about if you plan to insulate your home or change your heating source. This is because radiators must be properly matched to the appliance and the overall installation. Underfloor heating works well with heat pumps and condensing boilers. On the other hand, radiators for gas heating should have good thermal conductivity properties.
There are many benefits to replacing radiators, including saving money on heating. If they are models that are properly matched to the installation and made of high-quality materials, the distribution of heat to the individual rooms is much faster and more efficient. So if you’re wondering whether to replace cast iron radiators when heating with gas or other heat sources, the answer to this question is a definite yes! Not only will you save money, but you will also make your interiors look modern and stylish.
3. Take advantage of natural sunlight
You can also reduce your heating bills a little by exploiting the potential of your home’s windows. When the sun shines outside in autumn and winter, don’t forget to open your curtains or blinds. This lets the light in, which also warms up the interior a bit. On the other hand, cover the windows in the evening to reduce heat loss. In this way, you will improve the thermal comfort in your home.
You should also bear in mind that a lot of heat escapes through windows, so you should pay special attention to their quality. It’s worth choosing models whose heat transfer coefficient “U” is lower than 0.9 W/m2-K. Take this into account if you are just planning to build a house or replace your windows. If you can’t afford it, invest in special gaskets that are placed on the edges of the frames. This will reduce heat loss and contribute to lower heating bills.
4. Ensure that rooms are properly ventilated
This is a very important point, as not everyone is aware of how to properly ventilate indoor spaces. Letting fresh air in is good for the well-being of the occupants and also helps to maintain optimum humidity levels. During the heating season, do this intensively but briefly. Before you open the windows, turn down the radiators. This is necessary, especially if you have controls in place to maintain the correct room temperature. If you turn the radiators off, the heating appliance will not work with more power to raise it to the set level. Ventilating rooms while the radiators are on is the most common mistake made. When this happens, the system works harder to maintain the temperature, which translates into higher heating costs.
Also, remember to open windows for short periods. In this way, you will ensure optimum air circulation and, at the same time, prevent excessive cooling of the rooms. If cold air flows into the interior for a long time, it will be necessary to reheat it. This also applies to walls and furniture, surfaces that absorb a lot of heat. If they get too cold, the cost of reheating them will be considerably higher.
5. Control the temperature level in individual rooms
If you are wondering how to lower the bills for gas or other fuel used in your home, then opt for the installation of thermostats and temperature sensors that you will find in ENGO Controls’ offer. Their job is to constantly monitor the temperature level and keep it at a pre-programmed level. When the room starts to get colder, the controllers transmit this information to the boiler, which increases the intensity of its work to ensure thermal comfort. The thermostats also ensure that the interior temperature is not too high and does not exceed the programmed level. This has a positive effect on the operation of the entire system and contributes to lower heating costs.
Using sensors and controllers, you can ensure optimum thermal comfort. Depending on the specific rooms, the temperature should fluctuate between 20 and 22 °C (for the living room or dining room, for example). In the bedroom, the temperature should be 16-18°C. In the bathroom, on the other hand, it is advisable to maintain a temperature of 22-24°C. By reducing the temperature by 1 degree, you can reduce your heating needs by around 5-7% over the year. This can save you around 200-300 PLN depending on the area of your home and the heat source. So it is worth considering this option if you can afford it.
6. Think about thermo-modernizing your home
This is certainly one of the most effective ways you can choose to save money on heating. However, these are measures that you need to plan properly and carry out in advance before the heating season starts. Before you decide to thermally upgrade your home, carry out an energy audit. The purpose of this is to determine your actual annual heating requirements, as well as where in the building the greatest losses occur. This is very important as it will give you an idea of what measures you should take.
Thermo-modernization most often involves insulating the external walls and repairing or replacing the roofing and windows. If you have an inefficient heating source installed in your home, it is worth thinking about replacing it with a modern and energy-efficient appliance.
7. Take care of your heating system
Even before the start of the heating season, which is the most demanding for the installation, make sure to carry out an early inspection of it. Maintenance of individual appliances will not only allow you to detect possible damage or problems with their proper functioning. The systematic removal of deposits and dirt accumulated inside the system will have a positive effect on its operation. You will certainly feel this through optimum thermal comfort and low-growth heating bills.
8. Replace heating source
This is a method linked to the thermal modernization of a building. It is an excellent way to save heat. If your home has a traditional coal or wood cooker, consider an alternative, such as a gas, pellet, or eco-pea boiler. A heat pump, which can extract energy from the ground, water, or air, is also an excellent option. Using it is undoubtedly the most economical and environmentally friendly.
If you decide to heat with gas, you should know how to program the settings so that the boiler works efficiently and economically. Wondering how to set up your gas furnace economically? The temperature of the heating medium should be between 40-50°C.
Heating bills apply to people who use the district heating network. It is then necessary to pay them regularly. However, not everyone knows how to read the bill correctly and what exactly is included in it. This is valuable knowledge that can also help you to determine whether your savings measures are having the desired effect.
The heating invoice may be different from one heating supplier to another, but this document has a few constant common elements. At the top, you will find the date of service, i.e. the billing period, as well as the exact details of the supplier and the purchaser. Very often, you will also find the date and form of payment.
A further part of the invoice is a breakdown of fixed and variable costs. The former are mainly charges for the ordered thermal power divided into 12 fixed monthly installments. The transmission charge is also fixed. The variable costs, on the other hand, are primarily the charge for actual heat consumption, as well as the variable transmission charge and the heat carrier charge. The latter is only included if, through the fault of the system user, a top-up of mains water was necessary. The invoice also includes the total amount to be paid for the heat supplied. Since every customer has a say in the amount of their heating bill, they can try to reduce it somewhat.
The cost of buying fuel for the autumn and winter seasons and the bills for heat supplied from the grid can be very high. It all depends on which heating source you have decided on. Whether you live in a house or a flat, you can modify certain habits for yourself and other household members that will allow you to optimize your heat consumption somewhat. You will find that such measures can reduce your heating expenses.