Energy saving is one of the obsessions that takes center stage every beginning of the year with the arrival of the winter cold. The media insists a lot on maintaining a temperature of 18º in our homes (each degree can represent a 7% variation in our electricity consumption) but there are savings beyond that maximum.
Turn off the heating. Not all the time, of course, but according to experts, it is better to turn off the heating during periods when we don’t need it. When no one is home, for example, but also while we sleep. When we are in bed we are not only protected by blankets and duvets, our own body reduces its temperature and our thermal comfort threshold is lower.
In the mornings and when we get home, an extra expense will be necessary to recover the temperature of the home, but the savings will be worth it. To maintain a certain balance (or protect ourselves from very sudden drops in temperature at night, we can simply set the thermostat to a low temperature.
Ventilating. Another time we will have to turn off the heating will be when we ventilate the home. Correct ventilation is always essential. In winter we can take advantage of warmer hours of the day and air the house for less time (10 minutes may be enough). To ventilate quickly and efficiently, it is convenient to take advantage of the currents that are generated in our homes.
Maintain schedule control. Thermostats and programmers can help us maintain control of the temperature in our home, whether our system is gas or electric. These mechanisms do not do anything that we cannot do “manually”, but they allow us to take the worry off our shoulders and avoid forgetfulness. According to IDAE data, thermostatic valves in radiators and programmable thermostats can save between 8 and 13% of energy.
Time and space. It’s not all about controlling heating times. Space is also important. A common tip is to turn off the radiators in the rooms that we are not using. Especially in homes with gas heating, this can help us concentrate the heat; it is common for it to be wasted in empty rooms. In addition to turning off the radiators, closing the doors to these rooms can also help us manipulate the heat inside the home.
This brings us to the second tip in this regard: to insulate the heat as best we can. Every house will lose heat to a greater or lesser extent, but there are some measures we can take, such as closing the blinds at night. Blinds can offer us a little “extra” insulation that will help keep the house warm with less energy consumption.
Prevent to save. One of the best measures we can take to save energy in the home, both in winter and summer, is to invest in good insulation. This is an important investment that is not affordable for everyone, especially those who live in rent,
Other solutions more within everyone’s reach that can help us save something when heating our homes are based on having our equipment ready: purging the radiators, keeping the maintenance of our boiler up to date and, if necessary, replacing the equipment with one more efficient.
Not everything is heating. Finally, it can be remembered that it is not our house that must be at an ideal temperature, but us. That’s why strategies to keep us safe from the cold also involve raising our own body temperature. For this we can resort to tricks such as staying active and strategies as simple as watching the clothes we wear, which is not as simple as it might seem.
Image | e24
In WorldOfSoftware | The minimum temperature to save on heating this winter without sacrificing our health in the attempt, according to the WHO
*An earlier version of this article was published in January 2023
