Wintertime can be a wonderful time. Gathering with the family, holiday celebrations, and getting cozy and warm in your home. In the winter we need a lot of electricity and gas. Especially when the house’s washing machine, dryer, and many other appliances work simultaneously at full speed. You can save a ton of money with these 8 energy-saving tips so you can put your worries to rest.
1. Radiator maintenance
The installer should check older heating systems and thermal baths once a year so that you can avoid any nasty surprises on frosty winter nights. Boilers, heat exchangers, and burners must be checked to work optimally and energy-savingly. You can also perform minor maintenance, such as venting the radiators. The unique key for the vent valve is used for this.
2. Check windows
Well-insulated windows are an absolute must for optimal energy consumption in winter. Therefore, check the seals and joints and see any draft. Simply hold a lit incense stick before the seals and see if the vapor flickers. Leaks can be closed quickly and cheaply with foam from the hardware store.
3. Ventilate the room instead of leaning the window against it
Spending much time in a heated room in winter will eventually need fresh air and oxygen because the mucous membranes become dry. However, constant ventilation is counterproductive, cools the walls, and can cause mold. Repeated airing completely exchanges the air in the room and saves energy – provided you turn the heating controls down entirely beforehand.
4. Use shutters and curtains
Modern windows usually insulate heat well, but energy can be saved even more. In the evening and at night, you should draw the curtains or (if you have them) lower the shutters, ensuring less heat escapes from the living rooms. Since sunset comes early anyway, that should be pretty easy.
5. (Almost) There is no heating in the bedroom. Excuse
me? In the holy bed chamber? What sounds unthinkable for many is more manageable than expected. An excellent down comforter works wonders and saves up to ten percent on energy costs. Please do not switch the heating completely; otherwise, the cool air will not circulate, and mold can form. A bedroom’s ideal temperature is between 16 to 18 degrees.
6. Don’t
Use fan heaters. For many people, a fan heater is the immediate practical help when they get cold. Once turned on, hot air blows towards us – the warming effect sets in immediately. The problem: fan heaters, just like radiators, are insane energy guzzlers, the use of which is clearly reflected in the next bill. Try to do without fan heaters altogether. In rooms that do not have radiators, first open the doors so that heat can flow in from other rooms.
7. The proper insulation makes the difference
Where there is a draft, the heat also wants to escape. And stupidly, heat is always drawn outside, i.e., to where it can run. The better the building structure is insulated, the more difficult it is for warm air to escape. With a blower door test, you can examine the facade and use an infrared camera to identify where there are heat leaks.
8. Take a cold shower, save energy
Sounds funny, but it’s logical and works like this: Taking a cold shower at the end of the morning shower saves hot water and strengthens the vegetative nervous system because the cold drops activate the body’s defenses and send more blood through the body, which becomes a continuous flow heater. As a result, you are less sensitive to cold air and winter temperatures. The mini hardening in the morning pays off – also because you eat less.
