How to save on domestic heating? An important step in our energy efficiency guide

domestic heating

How to save on domestic heating? An important step in our energy efficiency guide

In winter, heating our home environment is obviously necessary, but unfortunately also expensive. It is estimated that its cost affects an average of over 50% on annual energy consumption. With some precautions, however, it can also halve this cost. Below we list some tips on how to save on domestic heating …

We will divide them into two categories …

  1. Those referring specifically to the domestic environment. That is the advice to avoid dispersing heat or diminishing its strength by consuming energy unnecessarily;
  2. Those referred specifically to heating systems.

Finally, a space will also be dedicated to some useful tips for the optimal purchase of a domestic heating system.

domestic heating

How to save on domestic heating?

In order to optimize the heat emanating from the heating systems we use, it is essential to take precautions starting from our home environment. Sometimes very simple and banal behaviors make the difference.

Let’s see the main suggestions …

  • For example, it is important to lower the blinds or close the blinds after sunset. If you have not already done so, replace windows, doors and windows with insulating elements. In general, adopt systems for the elimination of drafts and heat leaks.
  • Double glazing can also be installed in window and door window frames to prevent thermal dispersion between the external cold and the internal heat. Still in the field of renovations, it is better to prefer the installation of high efficiency (4-star) boilers and low-temperature heating systems such as floor systems; in addition, avoid dimension the system on powers higher than those actually required.
  • An excellent advice on how to save on domestic heating is to install thermostats for rooms and smart thermostatic valves on traditional radiators, limiting the use of the heating system only when it is actually needed. In the case of centralized condominium systems, adopt systems for the separate heat metering.
  • It may seem trivial, but it is important to keep the door of unused rooms and rooms closed – such as the closets or the guest room – so you will avoid circulating hot and cold air even in these rooms making the boiler work less. Finally, insulate the walls to prevent the dispersion of heat with the outside by making the boiler work less.
  • In the case of mountain or particularly cold locations, the complete insulation of the walls is assessed, an investment that could save you 70% of the annual expenditure to heat the house. For example using the double-walled tube technique.

domestic heating

Advice for optimal use of the systems

Here too, sometimes it is simply “good habits”. Let’s see in detail …

  • First of all, as in summer you must avoid keeping the air conditioning at too low temperatures, so in winter you should avoid keeping too high a temperature in the rooms. We therefore recommend a temperature around 20°C.
  • It is advisable to periodically check the boiler to improve its efficiency, and avoid covering it, like any other heating element, with furniture or curtains. Purge the air from the radiators to always keep them at maximum efficiency.
  • The air present in the system pipes tends to deposit in the radiators, impending full heating and causing unnecessary work for the boiler. The old radiators may not have an air vent valve, in these cases it will not cost much to have them installed by a simple intervention by your trusted plumbing system. To limit the consumption of the boiler make sure that the internal temperature of the house fluctuates around 19 °. For a single degree of higher internal temperature you will increase consumption by 8%.
  • When you suffer from the heat in winter and you are forced to open the windows you are making the boiler work by spending many euros of extra gas unnecessarily. Lowering the temperature by 1-2 degrees and wearing some sweater is a smart choice. At night, turn off the boiler or adjust the timer to turn it back on for two hours before you need to get up.
  • In case of particularly cold environments it is however sufficient to adjust the internal night temperature to only 16°. If you have a central heating system, ask your administrator for a heat metering system to divide the condominium spending based on the actual use of the heating. Use systems that do not allow lime scale to form in pipes and equipment.

Making the smart home is one of the most effective ways to save on home heating.

Which heating system is best for you?

Finally, let’s look at some useful suggestions for purchases regarding heating systems …

  • Equipped with an automatic temperature control unit can avoid big inefficiencies in heating and save you a lot of money. It is an excellent advice on how to save on domestic heating. A control unit in fact constantly detects the outside temperature of the house and compares it with the internal one, trying to keep it always at the level of maximum efficiency in consumption.
  • The control units are also equipped with a weekly or daily timer that will allow you to precisely define the periods of ignition, avoiding leaving the boiler on when not needed. For example, having the boiler turn on automatically one hour before your arrival will allow you to benefit from the domestic warmth without excessive waste of gas.
  • The use of underfloor heating allows radiating heat from the floor or walls, eliminating the traditional radiator altogether. The heat radiation from the bottom ensures the same comfort requiring less temperature in the system and, therefore, with a strong energy saving. With the same principle the radiation of the heat can come from the walls themselves by means of the radiant wall panels, particularly suitable thanks to their modularity in the large interior spaces used for office use. Always consider also that the use of electric heaters that will cost you a lot in electricity.
  • If you make a lot of use of electric heaters you should consider improving the domestic heating system or increasing the elements of the radiators. In the case of central heating, check in advance any variation to the radiator elements with your administrator. Finally, when buying a boiler, consider that a condensing boiler offers savings of up to 20% in methane consumption. On the highly efficient boilers, contributions to the 2007 Budget Law have been provided for.
  • So the choice is yours to save energy at home while still ensuring a good heating …

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