Proper heating and ventilation in winter
Pay attention to a healthy indoor climate, especially now
In the autumn and winter months, heat generation is in full swing. In the coldest months of the year, the heating system produces the highest output and therefore also generates the highest consumption. During this time, the risk of avoidable costs arising from unfavorable usage habits is also particularly high. Read on Effizienzhaus-online how you can save a lot of energy through proper heating and ventilation.
Heating properly in winter: How much heat do people need?
Homeowners who spend a lot of money on heating over the year often wonder if they are heating properly. There are a whole range of tips on this. But the most important heating rule is very simple: every degree less saves energy and money. So check carefully whether the comfortable temperature is not sometimes exceeded. Even lowering the average target temperature by just one degree Celsius leads to energy savings of an average of six percent. It is also an option to simply dress a little warmer instead of turning up the heating. After all, winter is also the right time to unpack the cuddly sweaters.
It is also worthwhile to heat individual rooms differently depending on their use. The hallway or storage room can be heated economically and at a low temperature. The doors and windows must be closed. "Cross-heating" requires more power than heating a room via the radiators installed for this purpose. In addition, moisture is introduced from the warmer rooms, which condenses in the cooler area and promotes mold. High temperatures also carry the risk of habituation. The human organism adapts to the heat and the need for heating increases imperceptibly because we get cold faster. But the same applies in the opposite direction: If we consciously develop more robustness against a slightly cooler temperature, this is good for operating costs and also for circulation and metabolism.
When to turn off the heating and when to just lower it?
Heating costs are similar to fuel consumption: frequent braking and starting consume more than smooth, smooth running. For example, even a cooled down apartment has to be heated up again with a lot of energy. Whether it is more efficient to turn off the heating or to lower it only slightly depends on the duration of the lowering and the insulation of the room. If it's only for the night or one or two days – and the house is properly insulated – it pays to lower the temperature only slightly. In this way, the heating system maintains the minimum temperature and the optimal room temperature is quickly reached again. If you are away for a longer period of time, it is more cost-effective to only apply frost protection and reheat it when you return.
The typical night-time reduction reduces the flow temperature so that the room temperature drops from 20°C to approx. 17°C. To do this, manually turn the thermostat down one level. Of course, this is only possible if you don't habitually sleep with the window open at night. Unfortunately, the advantage of fresh air leads to slightly higher heating costs.
Energy-saving tip: Limit continuous night-time ventilation to the bedroom and keep unused rooms at a temperature and do not let them cool down completely.
Proper ventilation – this is how it works
Incorrect ventilation in autumn and winter – even if you heat properly – easily leads to avoidable additional costs. Continuous ventilation with tilted windows feels economical, but allows large amounts of heat and thus energy to escape. This leads to cold rooms, but the air exchange is sparse. The solution: short burst ventilation!
In winter, you should ventilate several times a day for about five minutes with the windows wide open. Ideally, they open opposite windows, so that the used air can be exchanged for fresh air without the rooms and building fabric losing heat. The cool air can be heated quickly and with little energy consumption. Ventilation is also advisable after showering or when the floors have been mopped with a damp cloth because of the high humidity. In this way, you can remove the moisture in the living space directly and minimise the risk of mould growth.
The best tips for saving energy:
Proper heating with modern thermostats
Precise and demand-oriented heating control is an important instrument for achieving optimum consumption. Even if an older heating system is not digitally controlled, electronic thermostats ensure optimal adjustment of the flow temperatures. They also come with important functions such as night-time reduction and time-dependent programming. This allows consumption to be controlled much more precisely and reliably than if we manually readjust the thermostat for each change. The result is a noticeable saving in energy costs.
Insulating selectively: Even in unrenovated old buildings
Even in a poorly insulated old building, noticeable energy-saving effects can be achieved with simple methods and without complete energy-efficient renovation. If insulation panels are installed behind the radiator, less heating energy is lost directly through the cold walls. In this way, you dissipate a larger proportion of the heat inwards into the rooms used and not directly to the outside via the outer walls. Leaky windows should also be sealed as soon as possible – otherwise you are literally "heating the money out of the window". With just a few simple steps, they can ensure greater cost efficiency without much effort – and save energy and money!
Do not adjust radiators
If you want to heat properly in autumn and winter and consume little energy, the radiators must be able to heat the air in the room effectively. To do this, the warm air must be able to circulate freely and the heat radiation must be directed into the room. So avoid having a sofa or chest of drawers in front of the radiator. Even a heavy curtain can hinder the heating effect and reduce energy efficiency.
Save hot water!
Don't just ask yourself how to heat properly. In winter, a significant proportion of energy consumption comes from heating the water. In the cold season, the lower initial temperature requires more energy to heat a litre of water to 40 degrees Celsius. Tip to save: Only use warm water when absolutely necessary!
It is worth paying attention to the duration of the shower and enjoying the hot bathtub as a conscious luxury. Energy-saving shower heads, bead heaters and flow restrictors are simple and practical means of reducing consumption without sacrificing comfort.
Do not heat the boiler room
Proper heating in autumn and winter takes place in the right place: the basement is usually not the place you want to heat primarily. Insulated heating pipes limit heat loss at the points in the heating circuit that you like to leave cold.
You can find more tips on saving energy in the household and further information for energy-efficient renovation on Effizienzhaus-online under Tips for saving energy.