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Heating
- Insulation
measures
There are several possibilities to reduce the heat loss in buildings. First
of all the attic
normally has the least heat shield, therefore you should start there with insulation
measures. With some technical skills it will be possible to do an insulation
by
yourself. You will save up to 15 litres of fuel per square metre
of the attic per year.
Much more complicated is the insulation of outer walls. That should be done by a skilled company. If the outer wall insulation is not possible in old buildings it also will be possible to insulate inner walls. You need professional advice on this to avoid condensation problems.
Another quite important place where a lot of energy gets lost is the wall behind the radiator. Inner wall insulation at the radiator niche is therefore highly recommanded and fairly economic. If the small space between radiator and wall does not allow a later insulation you can add aluminium foil to the wall.
Insulate pipes.Without this, pipes in the cellar will heat a part of the building where it's not needed.
- The
right room temperature
For working and living rooms an average temperature of 20 - 21° C should
be
enough.
Every degree less saves about 6% of the heating costs. And you can even save
more money if you reduce the room temperatures during the night.
Recommended temperatures due to the use of rooms are:
hall 15°, bathroom 23°, kitchen 18°, living room 21°, child
20°, sleep 18°, eat 20°
- Heat
rooms only if you use them
If you are away for a longer period of time you should switch down the heating
or
even better just put it on the frost protection position. Also bedrooms and
guest
rooms don't have to be heated necessarily all the time.
- Airing
several times a day - but short and thorough
Afterwards close the windows. If you keep on airing all the time with a tilted
window
and a radiator turned on you will heat the street instead of your room.
- Close
rollers, shutters and curtains during the night
Draftproof rooms (but not in rooms with oven heating!), put
transparent insulation foil on single windows - that is cheap but saves
about 6 - 10% of the heating costs.
- Electric
heating
Any kind of electric radiator should only be used in case of emergency (e.g.
if the normal
heating system is not working) and only for a short-term.
Warm up only small rooms without a radiator (e.g. toilet) by electric
heating.
Anything else is a waste of energy.
The central heating should regularly have any air taken from it regularly to keep it efficient.
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