"Winter is coming". The heating will start to work at full capacity and will entail (like every winter) a great expense in our overheads regardless of the fuel that we may use. Therefore, in this article we explain how to save money on heating.
According to the OCU, (Spanish Users and Consumers Organization) heating consumption represents 47% of all energy expenditure, well above household appliances such as the refrigerator, washing machine or oven. This situation has made it from being an issue to be taken into an item on the agenda to a priority marked in red. Thus, to save on heating, there are several tricks or tips to take into account.
1. Know the types of heating installations that exist
The first step to saving on heating is knowing the different types of installations. Currently there are different systems depending on the fuel used and the way to transform it into thermal energy. These are some of the most popular:
- Bottled propane gas heating is the most used in homes if natural gas is not yet available. The enormous heat it radiates and its relatively low price -€0.14- make it an option to consider.
- Natural gas heating is defined as the most comfortable, safe and economical. It allows avoiding sudden changes in temperature thanks to its individual circuit, which gives us the opportunity to choose when to turn the system on or off. It is also the most ecological. Its price: it only costs around €0.05 per kilowatt hour (kWh). The savings in heating will be more than considerable.
- Oil heating works by heating water in a boiler, using the oil as fuel. This type requires that we have a diesel tank at home. The price is around €0.13-0.14 per kWh, while this diesel tank costs €0.10. It is considered the most dangerous as well as polluting.
- Butane heating. Butane stoves are defined as the traditional one par excellence. Distributed through cylinders, it has fixed and portable devices. Its price is around €0.08 per kWh. Added to this expense is an inconvenience: if the bottle runs out, we run out of supply.
2. Have control devices
There are several control devices on the market that allow us to turn the heating on and off automatically. If we know that we will arrive home in a matter of minutes, we can program it so that you already notice that warm and pleasant atmosphere in any room of home. Likewise, they are thermoregulators, ensuring that the rooms are at the optimum temperature, with the consequent savings in heating.
3. Take care of the insulation, the radiators or the boiler
One of the reasons why heating is not saved is usually insulation around the windows and door openings. It is necessary to review it periodically and change them if it is considered necessary. Many times, that cold air that makes us raise the heating a few degrees is due to old cracks in poor condition of the materials. Given this, it is best to use joinery repair materials or padded weather stripping.
The same can be said for the boiler or the radiators. Planned obsolescence means that devices do not function in the same way over the years. If they need to be repaired or replaced to maximize your heating savings, there's no need to hesitate.
4. Change fuel company or rate
Drastic solutions are sometimes the most effective. Sometimes, the savings in heating can come from a change in the maximum rate supplied or the company supplier.
If we want to stay with natural gas or propane, it is best to see the best offers that exist in the market.
On the contrary, if our objective is to change companies, the first thing is to go to a comparison web page? of electricity and gas rates and see which one offers us the best guarantees and prices so that savings when making these changes or installing other heating systems pass from being a dream to a reality.
Architecture studio - Pacheco Architects
At Pacheco Architects in Alicante, we have been designing sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly projects for more than 25 years, which, in the long run, translates into savings in the energy consumed in the home. Our architecture studio both in Murcia and in Alicante is specialized in various architectural services.
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