Whether you are a tenant or the owner of a property – everybody can heat efficiently. With our hints you can save both energy and money, in that way you can minimize your ecological footprint and increase the energy efficiency of your household.
Did you know that, on average, heating air and water consumes 83% of the energy in the Swiss households? Heating also makes up half of the total energy consumption in Switzerland and about 45% of the CO2 emissions. However, you can make some savings and increase the energy efficiency of your household, if you know how to heat efficiently.
1. Choose the right heating
Old-fashioned heating systems waste energy and money. With a modern heating system, you may reduce
the cost of heating by up to 20% and protect the environment at the same time. We can tell you why and when you should modernize your heating system.
2. Reduce room temperature
By reducing the room temperature by only one degree you may save 5-6% of heating energy – so set your
thermostat right. In the rooms where you spend a lot of time we recommend 20 to 22 degrees, in the bedroom - 17 to 18 degrees, and in the bathroom 22 to 24
degrees. If you are not at home during the day, the heating does not have to run at full programmed capacity.
3. Ventilation
Keep doors and windows shut. Avoid continuous ventilation through tilted windows, because this cools the building
shell and you end up heating the outside. Use short bursts of air instead. To do that, open the opposite windows two to three times a day for five minutes to
generate draught. This way you provide fresh air and remove the undesirable humidity. An even better solution is the installation of a controlled ventilation
system – it supplies fresh air and controls the level of humidity.
4. Reduce the heat loss
Keep the doors of heated rooms closed so as not to lose the warm air. Close the chimney flaps when the
fireplace is not used. Draw the curtains, pull down the roller shutters or blinds for the night, so that the rooms stay warm longer.
Take advantage of the free sources of energy such as sunlight and pull the shutters or blinds up when it is sunny.
5. Save hot water
Heating water uses over 12 % of the energy demand. Reduce the use of hot water by taking a shower rather than
a bath. Not only will you save a lot of water (about 50 litres), but also heating energy. If you heat with oil, you use half a litre of oil for a full bath – four
times more than for a shower. With a water saving shower head you can save even more water when you take a shower.
6. Avoid devices consuming a lot of electricity
Avoid electric fan heaters, because heating with electricity is inefficient and
expensive. Both electric and infrared heaters consume a lot of electricity. Apart from that the domestic electricity is scarce especially in winter and it must be
additionally imported from abroad.
7. Regular inspection and maintenance of the heating system
If your radiators do not heat up well, they must be bled. Have your
old heating system inspected regularly and check if it works efficiently in terms of costs and energy. This will help you avoid failures and pollutant emissions,
extend the service life and increase the energy efficiency of your heating system. Find out what is important in the maintenance of gas boilers.
8. Intelligent heating control
Modern heating systems are fitted with intelligent control systems that will enable you not only to adjust the temperature to your daily routine, but also to use
the weather forecast in real time via the Internet to adjust it in advance. For all the environmentally-minded and cost-aware, the intelligent control is a must
when buying a new heating system.
9. Use other “heaters”
If you feel cold in winter, no matter how warm it is inside, use a hot-water bottle and a warm blanket or keep your legs in hot water. A hot rosemary and linden
tea can also warm you up!
______________________________________________
Does your heating system know the weather forecast?
With the intelligent TopTronic® E
control system, your heating system will know the weather forecast in advance. With it, the temperature in your house will always be nice – and you will save
energy.
