The coldest periods of the year were already the ones in which we spent the most on heating, but the lockdown caused by the COVID19 crisis has made us spend more time at home, thus making our bills shoot up even more.
So a lot of homes are asking themselves: how do we save on heating?
We know that the cost of heating means a great expense during these months and we hear many tips. Truth is, most of those tips are fake myths on how to save on heating.
From LoGOs Energía we want to help you with your energy bill, so we show you real ways to save on heating.
Do not leave the heating on if you are not at home
There is the false belief that keeping a constant temperature all day with the heater on and the thermostat at a low temperature will make us save. But this is not true because constant heat requires constant effort from our heating system. That is why it is advisable to keep the heating off when you are not at home.
If your thermostat allows you to schedule the switch-on time, set it at half an hour before arriving at home. This way you will feel the heat without having to leave the heater on.
In the same vein, turn off the heating at night, except in extreme cold cases there is no need to leave the heater on at night, take another blanket and your heating system will appreciate it.
Keep the thermostat at 21ºC - 22ºC
The ideal temperature for a constant sense of comfort at home is 21ºC. Turning on the heating does not mean wearing a sleeveless t-shirt as if it were summer. Correctly setting the thermostat will help you have around 10% savings on your bill.
In addition to being expensive, setting the thermostat at 24ºC-25ºC is less healthy, since high temperatures can alter the quality of sleep and cause headaches.
The maintenance of the radiators is important, do no forget to check them.
The correct maintenance of the radiators, as well as purging them when necessary, is one of the most important things for saving on heating.
The simpler way of knowing is by touching them: if the heat is not even and the top part is cooler than the bottom one, then you need to purge them. You do not need any expert and you can perfectly do it because purging the radiators is very simple.
The purging must be done when the radiators are cold, because doing it when they are hot can cause burns. But, how to do it? Start with the one that is closer to the heater, place a container underneath the key and turn the key with a screwdriver until all the air comes out and the water flow is smooth.
Close the rooms that you do not use
It is also very important to keep the rooms that you do not usually use closed, as well as turning off the radiators that are not necessary. We can save around 8% to 13% by following this guideline, which will allow us to reduce our heating consumption.
Ventilating the house is not only necessary but it also helps reduce the heating consumption.
Ventilating is vital for renovating the air inside your home and to save on heating because, if we do not do it, humidity increases and heating humid air is more difficult, so the energy consumption increases.
Ventilating yes, but wisely and when strictly necessary. It’s best to ventilate the house by opening the windows for 5 to 10 minutes per day, usually in the morning, so as to avoid losing the heat accumulated during the day, although this will depend on your habits and on how you have set your heating.
Radiators are not clothing lines
We know that during winter it is complicated to dry clothes and some people have the habit of placing some pieces of clothing on the radiators for them to dry. But covering the radiators prevents hot air from correctly circulating and makes the electricity and gas consumption increase, and so does the bill.
Placing a small line next to a radiator so as to dry your clothes without blocking the heat flow is an equally practical and more efficient solution in terms of heating.
Good isolation, great saving
Improving the isolation of a house can be an extra expense. However, it can mean 30% savings on your bill, around one third of all the heat that is lost in homes is caused by badly isolated windows.