Heating tip number 1: Set the temperature correctly
The easiest way to save heating costs is to heat less. However, it makes no sense from now on to heat only half the winter. This would drastically reduce comfort, not to mention the fact that it would cause significant health problems. It is much more clever to reduce the temperature in individual rooms. A common rule of thumb is that with each degree Celsius less, 6-7% energy can be saved. If you've been wearing shorts and T-shirts at home in the winter, you may find a few degrees less comfortable in a fluffy sweater.
Different rooms have different ideal temperatures. We have compiled a list of the different rooms and temperatures for you. The specified temperature in degrees Celsius corresponds in each case to the lower temperature level recommended by us. Depending on your circumstances, age of occupants and temperature sensitivity, you can increase this up to two degrees. However, remember the 6-7% energy rule of thumb. Warmer clothes and socks can often save you from raising the temperature in winter. This will save you on heating costs.
Bathroom: 23°+ Celsius is recommended here. The bathroom is commonly the warmest room
Bedroom: 17°+ Celsius. Lower temperatures in the bedroom also help to fall asleep. However, if the room is also used for work, for example, the ideal temperature increases.
Children's room: 22°+ Celsius. Children are much more sensitive to low temperatures. Depending on their age, the temperature level here can drop again somewhat.
Living room: 20°+ Celsius.
Kitchen: 18°+ Celsius. Next to the bedrooms, the kitchen is the coldest room. Just when cooking or the oven is running, the kitchen becomes much warmer anyway.
Heating tip number 2: Night setback and vacation mode
The temperature guidelines listed are for permanent heating. However, if you have a relatively new heating system, such as a modern heat pump, then you can also set the temperature level more dynamically. This allows you to vary the desired room heat over the course of the day or even week. The most sensible option here is the so-called night setback. This allows you to reduce the heat output over the course of the day.
Because people sleep better at lower temperatures, this not only reduces heating costs, but also helps with sleep quality. Besides, it is unlikely that you will use bathroom or children's room at this time so much that over 23°C would be necessary.
But first, take a conservative approach to night setback. Who usually goes to sleep last and who gets up first? To start, use the more extreme examples over the course of the week. If you get up as early as 5 a.m. on Monday and don't go to bed until midnight on Saturday, start with those times. The exception, of course, is if you're not home at all on Saturday before bedtime. You will find out the best times for night setback for your circumstances with some experimentation.
Depending on the system, you can divide the night setback into many phases, in which the setback can vary in intensity. The systems also differ in terms of individual days of the week and general programmability. By the way, despite the name, this does not necessarily have to happen at night. For detailed instructions on whether and how you can set a night setback, contact the manufacturer of your heating system.
Similar to the night setback, the vacation setback, often called vacation program, also works. This is not repeated daily, but works on a similar principle. Here you select the time in which you are absent, so that the building is not unnecessarily heated during this period. Depending on the duration of your absence, it then makes sense that the building continues to be heated in the low temperature range or that the heating does not work at all. If programmed well, the heating system will start up again in such a way that the desired normal temperature is reached again when you arrive.
If you are still experimenting, you may want to first schedule a few hours to one day buffer when the heating is already running again so that the building is safely warm again.
Heating tip number 3: shock ventilation
No matter how much you heat, every residential building must also be ventilated regularly. This is the only way to ensure good air circulation and air quality. However, ventilation in the winter months should not serve to bring the temperature level to the desired values, but exclusively provide fresh air. Therefore, especially in the cold season, you should refrain from leaving the windows tilted for hours. Otherwise, your heating system will unnecessarily waste energy to warm up the outside air instead of getting warm inside the house. It also does not optimize air circulation.
Instead, it is recommended that you open the windows only for a short time, but then properly and with clear intention. This is called cross-ventilation and butt-ventilation. Cross ventilation refers to the fact that you open windows that are opposite each other. If necessary, open the doors between the respective rooms. In this way, the air circulates more easily and a complete exchange of air is achieved. Shock ventilation refers to opening the windows fully, if possible, and thus ventilating very strongly in a short period of time (5-10 minutes). This should be enough for about half a day. With fossil heating systems, you can even turn down the radiators during this time for optimization - heat pumps will hardly waste massive amounts of energy during this short period due to the more balanced heating behavior.
Heating tip number 4: Reduce hot water consumption
In addition to heating behavior, it is often forgotten that the hot water in the kitchen and bathroom must also be heated up first. The shower and bathtub consume the most energy. But anyone who leaves the faucet open unnecessarily for a long time in the kitchen or bathroom is also wasting energy. Even if you have energy-saving underfloor heating systems, which only require low flow temperatures, the production of hot water for showers is significantly more energy-intensive. This is typically raised to over 50°C for the boiler, which makes a significant difference in energy efficiency, especially with heat pumps. Savings in this area are therefore particularly noticeable in heating costs.
Therefore, the same applies here: Optimally, limit yourself to shorter showers with warm water. A sauna is not absolutely necessary. If you like to take a hot bath, you will pay considerably more for heating than for a 3-minute shower. In the end, however, it's also a question of comfort. So whenever you take a shower, just be aware that there is great potential for saving heating costs here. The simplest tip to save heating costs without a great loss of comfort is definitely the purchase of an economy shower head. This reduces the amount of water without this being very noticeable.
Heating tip number 5: Keep radiators clear
Heat dissipation in the house works either through radiators such as radiators, or underfloor heating. In general, the larger the surface area, the lower the flow temperature can be and the more efficient the whole heating system. As long as you do not install additional radiators, the surface area of the radiators can not be increased, but you can certainly hinder the heat output from them. This happens when curtains, furniture or other objects are placed directly in front of the radiators. Then the expensively generated heat accumulates and prevents even distribution in the room.
Therefore, a simple practical tip for reducing heating costs is: run all the radiators in your building once. Make sure that no curtains are hanging in front of each radiator and that all furniture is at least 30 cm away from them, if possible. If the radiators are dusty, it is also worthwhile to wipe them briefly, so that the heat emission is as easy as possible.
Heating tip number 6: Venting heating system
A heating system is not unjustly called a system. The heating, as well as the heat output must be coordinated with each other and with the building. Only when the cooperation is right and each room is heated properly, everything works together as a good system. Important for this is also a regular inspection and if necessary maintenance of the entire system. In particular, radiators that heat up differently are an indication that intervention is necessary.
If the system has been idle for a longer period of time, such as during the summer months or after long vacations, it can pay off to vent the radiators in particular. Basically, there should only be heating water in the system. Nevertheless, it can happen that air bubbles collect there, which hinder an even distribution. This manifests itself in an audible gurgling or bubbling noise. With a little experience, you can perform the bleeding of the system yourself. If you lack the experience or the equipment such as the bleeding key, then it is best to contact your heating installer.
Heating tip number 7: Raise the insulation standard of buildings
Heating tip number 7 is certainly the most expensive way to reduce your heating costs, but it also lasts the longest and has a massive effect. If you live in an older building, chances are that one or more points in the insulation do not meet the latest standards. For example, a lot of energy is lost in the form of waste heat either directly through the walls and roof or through the windows. Poorly insulated interior walls can also ensure that the basement or screed, for example, are unnecessarily heated indirectly. In this case, insulation strips on the respective doors can already provide a remedy.
Improvements to the building envelope, on the other hand, come at significantly higher costs. In the picture below you will find a cost estimate of the different measures compiled by ibih AG and the Swiss Raiffeisen banks.
If these investments come into question, it is best to consult an energy expert and create a renovation roadmap that determines which measures you should prioritize in order to save heating costs in the long term. In both Germany and Switzerland, there are also subsidies for improving the insulation and building envelope, which will reduce the costs for you.
