Many households are now struggling with rising utility costs. You can find out here which levels the heating should be set to in which rooms, why thermostats make sense and what savings a shower head can save. There are also useful tips for everyday life.
Which temperature is ideal for which room
According to information from “Heizsavers”, around a quarter of the annual energy costs are generated solely through the use of heating. To ensure that the bill is not horribly high, the right room temperature without excessive heating is a must. The following formula applies: Each degree saves around six percent of heating costs.
There are separate temperature recommendations for different rooms in the house or apartment, including the associated heating intensity. The bathroom can be heated the most; according to the heat saver, the ideal room temperature is 23 degrees, which corresponds to setting the knob on the radiator between three and four. According to recommendations, the children’s room should also be kept comparatively warm at 22 degrees. This is followed by the living room, which is perfect at 20 degrees even in the colder seasons. On the heating scale this is level three. In the bedroom, cooler temperatures of 15-16 degrees at level two are sufficient. Last but not least, Heating Saver suggests only heating the remaining rooms, such as the hallway, to level 1.
When it comes to saving energy, you shouldn’t skimp too much on heating. In cold rooms below 15 degrees, mold easily develops; in rooms around 12 degrees, it takes too long for them to warm up again. However, the motto of heating too much is not the solution either. The fact that high humidity builds up in warm temperatures increases the risk of respiratory diseases and colds.
Anyone can do this to easily reduce heating costs
Electronic thermostats are a good alternative to save heating costs. Individual heating costs can be set, and the subsequent reduction can also be programmed. According to “co2online”, the cost of a thermostat is between ten and 50 euros. They should be replaced every 15 years.
If the radiator gurgles or no longer performs as usual, air can be the cause. The radiator then needs to be bled and then achieves more efficient performance again.
Doors should be kept closed when heating, otherwise the heat will escape from the heated room. In addition, condensation can form on the cold walls in cooler rooms. Bedrooms should be ventilated in the morning to get the moisture out of the room.
When on holiday, the heating should not be turned off completely, but should be left at a low level.
Ventilation is of course important, but the cold air from outside replaces the laboriously heated warm air in the room. Instead of keeping the window tilted for a long time, heat saver recommends ventilation twice a day.
Mobile heaters and radiant heaters for sockets consume a relatively large amount of electricity. These should therefore be used as little as possible.
The windows and doors on the building itself should be tight. Well-sealed windows can, at best, achieve a cost saving of 30 percent. Up to five percent of heating costs can be secured through annual maintenance. If the heaters are set to a reduced room temperature of 17 degrees at night, heating costs can also be reduced by up to ten percent.
Behind the scenes of heating – you can change that
Electricity is the most expensive “fuel” there is. Therefore, you should think about how the hot water is heated, for example. This is often done electrically and therefore drives up the electricity bill. That’s why showering instead of bathing can keep costs down.
Instead of an electric heater or a central heating system powered by electricity, you can also use the boiler. It is powered by heating oil or wood pellets and works efficiently after precise adjustment of the thermostats and pumps.
To save electricity when using hot water, but also in general, it is worth installing an energy-saving shower head. This can save up to 265 euros in electricity costs per year. A flow limiter supports savings. A hot water tank draws a lot of electricity because the water has to be kept at a warm temperature. Switching off the storage reduces costs. Hot water circulators provide hot water at the taps at all times, but they also consume a lot of energy. A timer can remedy this by only turning on the circulator at the times needed, for example in the morning.
More energy saving tips for everyday life
The large appliances in a household also consume the most electricity. This includes a refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, stove and dishwasher. The devices are divided into efficiency classes depending on consumption. A is the most energy-saving product. Standards change over the years, and how efficient a five-year-old device is compared to today can be compared based on the stated energy consumption per year.
To save electricity directly, the lights should be switched off when leaving a room and a good efficiency label should be chosen for the lamps. After charging the notebook or mobile phone, the plug must also be removed from the socket, otherwise power will continue to be drawn. Standby mode still uses more power than when switched off, so it’s worth shutting down the devices after use. For the kitchen, an energy-efficient refrigerator noticeably reduces the electricity bill. When washing, the dryer can be left out and the wet laundry can be dried traditionally on the drying rack.
Editorial team finanzen.net