Winter is coming and soon it will be time to turn the heat back on. Like every year, the dilemma between a well-heated interior and a salty bill is more current than ever. So how do you heat your home properly without waste? Here are some helpful tips.
Whether gas, wood or electricity, one thing is certain, heating will cost even more this year. It represents two thirds of our energy bill. If it is impossible to fight rising energy prices, it is possible to adopt good reflexes to limit our consumption without sacrificing our well-being. Let’s discover some eco-gestures to start without delay.
Prevents heat loss for better heating
The first thing you should avoid is overheating, that is, heating at temperatures that are too high, which harms both your health and your pocketbook. Chimneys tend to raise the thermometer unnecessarily. ADEME indicates that the ideal ambient temperatures in the house are 19°C in the living rooms, 16°C in the bedrooms for sleeping and 22°C in the bathroom at the time of use.
Some tips for good thermal comfort:
1- Good insulation : to fight heat loss, this makes a difference. Only proper insulation of your home can retain heat. Losses can be up to 30% in older homes, which is significant. There are several sources: the ceiling, the floor, the walls and the openings (doors and windows). It may be interesting, to reduce your expenses in the medium and long term, to carry out a complete energy balance and see what steps and works can be carried out.
2- Cazar air corridors: the circulation of cold air is an authentic lacra. Therefore, it is necessary to try to heat the air as best as possible. Block the passage of cold at the openings: put draft excluders under the doors, redo the window seals if necessary or install adhesive strips, install double curtains or thermal curtains, floor mats and close the blinds or shutters tightly. al anochecer.
3- Good ventilation – Don’t neglect the virtues of good ventilation by ensuring your ventilation system is clear and in good working order. Good air circulation prevents humidity in the house. But humidity is the enemy of heat. Also, remember to open your windows when it is sunny to renew the air and warm your walls, at least 10 minutes a day, turning off the heating of course.
Caulk openings – Source: spm
4- Choose a suitable heating mode : Very often, the older the heaters are, the more energy they consume. Sometimes renewing your heating system can represent a significant investment, but it can pay for itself quite quickly given the increasing cost of energy. Boilers and wood stoves, particularly pellet stoves, are very popular, as are heat pumps. Regarding electricity, it is the inertia radiator, which is currently the most interesting, as well as the towel dryer for the bathroom. Avoid very expensive small heaters.
5- Regulate the temperatures : a good way to save money is also to adapt the temperatures to the different needs according to each room and the different times of the day. For this, smart programmable thermostats, remote control or external sensors connected to your boiler are ideal. So you can easily vary the temperatures and intensity of your heating and limit waste.
Warm well thanks to regular maintenance of your appliance
In addition to correct reflexes, heating maintenance is essential. Know that a well-maintained gas boiler can reduce your consumption by 12%, which is not negligible. In any case, an annual review by a professional is mandatory. Regarding electric radiators, do not forget to dust them periodically and do not put anything in front of them, so that they work at full capacity. You can also place a heat reflector right behind it to optimize its use.
Avoid energy-intensive space heaters. source: spm
All you have to do is take stock of your situation, make the right decisions and take the right actions. This winter more than ever, all means are good to save energy!