Las bajas temperaturas llegaron en noviembre a todo el territorio nacional para quedarse durante lo que resta de otoño y todo el invierno. Por lo tanto, millones de personas afrontan unos meses claves para su bolsillo, porque el encarecimiento del mercado energético y, en concreto del gas, plantea un panorama preocupante. ¿La razón? Muchas familias se están viendo en la tesitura de no poder poner la calefacción en sus hogares todo lo que les gustaría para que sus facturas no se disparen.
Fortunately, however, there are a number of options for keeping our homes warm without jeopardizing our financial stability. And today we’re sharing several of them with you, so you can learn how to save on heating by using highly efficient alternatives. Will you join us?
Ensure proper ventilation
The rooms in our home need to be ventilated frequently. But this is a problem during the colder months, because every time we open the windows, we lose heat and cause the temperature in the rooms to drop. However, there’s a smart way to do this: by opening all the windows in the house at the same time, while also keeping the doors connecting the rooms open.
This will create a series of air currents that will allow for much faster ventilation, since the air will be completely refreshed in just a few minutes. And what’s the benefit? Well, the walls won’t cool down as much as they would if we ventilated for a longer period, so we won’t need to heat them again to raise the indoor temperature.
Avoid leaving the heat on for long periods of time
Many people decide to leave the heat on all night or for several hours at a low setting. By doing so, they aim to keep the temperature stable at an optimal level, since they believe that if they turn off the heat, they’ll end up spending more by turning it back on at a higher setting to warm up the rooms that have cooled down while it was off.
But, as the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge reminds us, experts point out that doing this is very costly in terms of energy. The reason is that maintaining a stable temperature requires a constant supply of energy, because the home will continuously lose heat through its windows, walls, and ceilings. Thus, to compensate for the cold outside, our heating system will have to consume more energy.
On the other hand, if we turn it off and, after a while, turn it back on for short periods, we’ll improve efficiency. This is because, as the house cools down, the temperature difference between the inside and outside will decrease, and the heating system won’t need as much energy to constantly compensate for heat loss. So, the energy we’ll save by turning it off and back on again to restore the temperature will be less than what we’d need to supply constantly to keep it at a steady level.
Improving Thermal Insulation
This is a fundamental consideration, because the better our home is insulated, the less heat it will lose. Although insulating materials such as polyester, polyurethane, cellulose, mineral wool, cork, and flax are now beginning to be used in construction, it is most likely that our home was built with conductive materials that tend to lose heat and cool down due to the effects of the outside climate.
Furthermore, it is estimated that approximately 30% of a home’s energy losses occur through its exterior walls, another 30% through the roof, 20% through doors and windows, and the remaining 20% due to floor leaks and losses caused by air infiltration.
Therefore, there are many areas where we can take action to improve our home’s thermal insulation: walls, ceilings, windows, floors… These are options that may seem costly at first, but that, in the long run, would be extremely cost-effective.
The fact is that, although the OCU points out that doing so may require an investment of between 3,000 and 11,000 euros, it also points out that grants are available under the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan covering between 30 and 80 percent of the renovation costs (excluding VAT); and that savings can reach 1,000 euros per year in cases of greatest need.
Bleed the air from the radiators
If we have gas heating, we mustn’t forget to bleed the air that accumulates inside the radiators at least once a year. If we don’t, small air bubbles may build up , which will hinder their operation by preventing heat from circulating properly inside them. As a result, we’ll need to keep the heat on longer to reach the desired temperature, leading to higher energy costs.
Surround yourself with materials that bring warmth to your home
In addition to using blinds and windows that adequately insulate you from the cold outside, you can install thermal curtains, since they are specially designed to keep out cold and/or heat and to maintain a stable temperature in the rooms where they are hung. Or you can opt for cozy winter rugs to absorb the cold and make the rooms feel much cozier.
Use of Portable Heaters or Stoves
There are many options here: from fireplaces or stoves that run on bioethanol (without using gas or electricity) to those that run on multiple fuels (such as pellets, almond shells, or olive pits), as well as infrared heating options. Or, of course, small electric heaters for smaller rooms, given their low energy consumption.
Each option has its pros and cons, because some of them even require an outdoor vent and good ventilation. But most of them stand out for being more efficient and economical than gas heating.
Install a renewable energy boiler
If we’re looking for a solution that’s expensive today but cost-effective in the medium term, we might consider installing a renewable boiler. These use air-source heat pumps, which heat water through heat exchange with the outside environment. Thus, they generate heat in the winter and provide cooling in the summer, with the advantage of producing no smoke or waste at any time.
To operate, they require an initial energy input, but the total savings are estimated at 25% compared to natural gas and 50% compared to diesel. Thus, the total cost can be recouped within 5 to 12 years after installation.
That wraps up our list of the most efficient ways to save on heating. Go ahead and tell us which ones you usually use!
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