Are you worried that heating your home during the autumn and winter season will put a significant strain on your budget? Are high charges keeping you up at night? Find out how you can save on heating without sacrificing thermal comfort. Find out about effective methods to reduce your bills. These seemingly small changes will make you pay less for heating and still keep your home warm.
The biggest problem with heating and the rising cost of maintaining an optimal indoor temperature is excessive heat loss. This occurs most often in poorly insulated buildings. Before you find out how to save money on heating in your home, find out which parts of the building are most problematic. These are known as thermal bridges.
The biggest heat losses mainly concern:
– roof and attic – if too thin a layer of insulation has been applied to these, it is unable to retain heat, so it escapes to the outside of the building
– Leaky windows and doors – these are the most common problems, especially with older models that are leaky;
– balconies and foundations – few people choose to insulate these properly, resulting in significant heat loss and higher heating costs.
Thermal bridges also form in external walls. If they are not insulated, the loss of heat can be very noticeable.
To determine which parts of the building are causing the biggest problem, it is worth carrying out an audit to determine the overall heat demand. A specialist with a thermal imaging camera will carry out a survey and determine where the most heat is escaping. Such a visual inspection will enable an effective plan for the thermal modernization of the building to be prepared.
To save money on heating your home during the autumn and winter seasons, you must start by insulating it. Otherwise, no measures will have the desired effect, i.e. reduce operating costs. It is also important to carry out modernization before replacing the heating source. Why is this so important? Otherwise, the output of the appliance will be incorrectly matched to the heat demand of the building. This in turn translates into high bills that could have been avoided.
Thermo-modernization must be carried out using high-quality materials that stand out for their durability and effectiveness. Styrofoam, as well as glass wool and mineral wool, are usually used to insulate walls or ceilings. The material must be properly matched to the parameters of the specific building. In older buildings, it is also worthwhile to replace windows and doors if they are leaky.
If you want to find out how to save money on heating your home, take a look at some of the tips below. These are tried and tested methods that will help you reduce your heat loss and make a difference in your heating expenses. You will have to wait a little while for the effects of some of them, but they are certainly worth applying.
1. Control the temperature in individual rooms
Many people tend to overheat rooms in their homes. Very often it is too hot in winter, which hurts the well-being of the household members in particular. The temperature should be distributed as follows depending on the rooms:
– 20-22°C – in the living room and living area of the house,
– 16-18°C – in the kitchen and bedroom,
– 22-24°C – in the bathroom.
The appropriate temperature in the house can be maintained by using sensors connected to controllers installed on the heating device. Such solutions can be found in the offer of ENGO Controls. They allow you to program the optimum temperature level in individual rooms. The sensors will constantly monitor it so that it is neither too high nor too low. In this way, you can ensure thermal comfort for everyone in the house around the clock.
The use of such devices is very convenient as well as economical. Thanks to them, the boiler or heat pump does not have to run at top speed unnecessarily. They only start up when the temperature drops below the desired level. You will certainly feel this after a while through reduced heating expenses.
2. Do not cover radiators
This is crucial not only for economic reasons but also for safety. Do not keep plastic objects close to radiators, as they can melt when exposed to high temperatures. Remember also that keeping radiators unobstructed promotes the distribution of heat around the room. If there are no obstructions, it can spread freely through the rooms.
Plan your interior design so that no furniture or other objects stand near the radiators. Do not cover them with curtains or covers either. If the radiators in your home are unsightly, consider replacing them. Not only will you give your interiors a modern and stylish feel, but you will also improve the efficiency of your heating system.
You can also place special screens behind the radiators. These are made of heat-reflecting foil. Thanks to them, the heat is not directed towards the walls where it penetrates, but towards the room. In this way, you will reach the optimum temperature level in your home more quickly. You should also remember to clean your radiators regularly. A layer of dust lingering on them can also adversely affect the heating process.
3. Check the condition of the heating system
It is also important to remember to carry out maintenance on the heating system at least once a year. Such measures will help to ensure that it functions optimally and will also detect possible irregularities. Well-maintained heating appliances work efficiently and only use as much energy as necessary. If the installation in your home is outdated, think about replacing it with a new one. This will translate into more comfortable use and lower bills.
4. Check the condition of windows and doors
As you already know, windows and doors are elements of a building through which a lot of heat escapes. Therefore, you should regularly check their airtightness to make sure that they are not causing the rooms to cool down too quickly. Any irregularities can already be seen with the naked eye. If the curtain moves even though the window is closed, this may indicate that there are leaks in the window. In this case, special seals can be tried. However, if these measures do not work, it will be necessary to replace the windows with new ones.
It is also worth knowing that modern windows have two modes: summer and winter. The latter provides better tightness and prevents heat loss. This involves adjusting the seal pressure. To change the mode, the pins need to be moved 90° from their previous position. Not sure how to recognize which mode was previously selected? If the thicker part of the pin is aligned towards the gasket, this is the winter mode. As you can see, setting the window seal correctly is not at all as difficult as it might seem at first glance.
5. Make use of natural sunlight
A great idea to reheat rooms naturally is to use sunlight to do so. Very often in autumn and winter, the sun shines despite the low temperatures outside. If you open the blinds or curtains and let the rays come in, you will gain extra heat. It will not replace radiators on cold days, but it will certainly bring many benefits. The rooms in your home will also become better lit and you won’t need to use lamps.
Modern buildings very often do not have traditional radiators. They are replaced primarily by efficient underfloor heating. This can be combined with either a condensing boiler or a heat pump. This type of heating is made of heating cables, mats, or foils, which are placed under the floor. Underfloor heating has many advantages, one of which is the even distribution of heat throughout the room. The absence of radiators also makes rooms look aesthetically pleasing and increases design possibilities. In this case, you do not have to plan the layout of the furniture in such a way that it does not obstruct the radiator.
Radiators are also not used in passive houses, which do not require traditional heating systems. They mainly use ventilation, and in winter, when the temperature outside is very low, the rooms can be reheated by electric radiators or the aforementioned underfloor heating.
Saving on heating must also include correctly ventilating the rooms in the house. This is very important because, in the case of excessively cooled interiors, the installation has to work at a much higher power to restore the optimum temperature in the shortest possible time. This increases heating costs and can easily be avoided.
First of all, ventilation should be intensive but short. Before you open the windows, switch off the radiators a few minutes beforehand. It is best to carry out the ventilation in the morning or evening so that the air exchange has an even better effect on your health and well-being.
Do not leave windows ajar for most of the day, as this will cause the building to become excessively cold. It is best to leave them wide open for a few minutes or so, depending on the conditions outside.
It is advisable to ventilate individual rooms separately. Once the window is open, it is best to close the door to avoid a draught. Once this is done, turn up the heating gradually until the right temperature is reached. In this way, you will ensure optimum air circulation and at the same time avoid excessive cooling of walls, ceilings, and furniture, which take the longest to heat up.
You have already learned about the most effective methods of reducing heating expenses. You can also try some less common methods which can also help you to reduce the cost of maintaining an optimal temperature. Below you will find some tips on habits you should develop.
– Set a lower temperature during the day in rooms you do not stay in, such as the bedroom. Only raise it before you go to bed. This will reduce your heating costs somewhat.
– Think about whether there are rooms in your house that you do not need to heat at all or reduce the temperature to the minimum necessary. You may find, for example, that radiators in the laundry room or hallway can operate at a much lower output.
– Do not hang laundry on radiators. This is due not only to the inability of the heat to spread but also to the fact that these devices will use their power to get rid of moisture rather than provide the right temperature.
– Instead of turning up the radiators, dress a little warmer. This rule applies especially to homes that do not have young children or elderly people who need more heat.
– For autumn and winter, choose fluffy carpets and other warm textiles for your home. They will increase your thermal comfort without having to increase the heating.
– Remember to close doors behind you to unheated rooms, such as the porch or garage. This will prevent excessive mixing of warm and cold air.
Heating expenses are most often very high and account for a large part of all operating costs incurred by homeowners. However, fortunately, there are effective ways that will allow you to reduce them somewhat. Using proven methods, you can help improve thermal comfort without increasing your heating bills.