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Heating and hot water: this is how you turn down your costs now!

2022-08-22T18:07:48.949Z


Heating and hot water: this is how you turn down your costs now! Created: 08/22/2022, 20:00 By: Sebastian Hölzle How can you winterize your house and apartment in summer? In the first part of the series, we show how you can save on heating and hot water with simple tricks. Munich - Europe should save gas - the savings target is 15 percent from August to the end of March 2023. Not only state in


Heating and hot water: this is how you turn down your costs now!

Created: 08/22/2022, 20:00

By: Sebastian Hölzle

How can you winterize your house and apartment in summer?

In the first part of the series, we show how you can save on heating and hot water with simple tricks.

Munich - Europe should save gas - the savings target is 15 percent from August to the end of March 2023. Not only state institutions and industry should use less energy, private households are also called upon to save.

And since gas is also used to generate electricity, electricity should also be saved.

Small measures are often enough to save energy and money.

Only sometimes small investments of a few euros are necessary.

In our series, we explain how you can make your house and apartment winter-proof in summer in order to use less oil, gas or electricity with simple means.

The first part of the series is about saving heating and hot water with simple tricks.

Hot water: 50 cents for a full bath, 20 cents for a shower

Not only politicians such as Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) have called for shorter showers, a number of experts have also joined the call.

That is known.

What is less known is how expensive a shower is.

"An average shower of five to ten minutes consumes at least 1.5 kilowatt hours and a full bath consumes many times more energy and water," says Norbert Endres, energy consultant for the Bavarian consumer advice center.

"At currently around twelve cents per kilowatt hour, a shower costs around 30 cents, a full bath often costs at least 90 cents, depending on the size of the tub and how full it is, which is about three times as much." If you cut the shower time in half, you can get by with 15 cents .

For his calculation, Endres assumes hot water heating with heating oil, gas or district heating.

"With electric hot water heating, everything is three to six times as expensive."

But even these costs can be further reduced: "Normal shower heads let between ten and 20 liters of water per minute through, economical shower heads only up to nine liters per minute," says Endres and has another tip on how to measure the current water consumption : Hold a bucket under the fully open shower head for exactly six seconds, measure how many liters are in the bucket, multiply the value by ten - and you know how many liters flow through the shower head per minute.

Saving hot water: New strainers for the tap

The small filters on the tap are officially called jet regulators.

They reduce the flow of water through the tap.

Sometimes they also mix air into the water jet, so that less water is required for the usual strong jet.

The little helpers are also called aerators or aerators or are referred to by the brand name Perlator.

According to the non-profit consulting organization co2online, you can reduce water consumption by up to half.

This reduces energy costs when using hot water.

Replace the thermostats on the radiator

According to consumer expert Endres, old radiator thermostats should be replaced after 15 to 20 years.

"Digital thermostats can be particularly convenient, they are now available from 15 euros each." Smart thermostats can often also be combined with an app.

But classic analogue thermostats are also a way of saving energy.

"They often only cost ten euros in a pack of six, and I easily save this money during a heating period thanks to the more stable temperature maintenance," says Endres.

also read

Habeck plans: Cold rooms and no warm water for washing hands - Germany will soon have to save money

Gas crisis in Germany: New law could now give consumers a nasty surprise

Six percent savings with one degree less

The energy savings from lowering the room temperature are considerable: "If you lower the room temperature by one degree, you can reduce your energy consumption by around six percent," says energy expert Endres.

Especially in rooms that are rarely used, the room temperature can often be lowered without any problems.

"Therefore keep doors to less heated rooms closed during the heating period," says Endres.

So that heat is not lost unnecessarily, Endres advises "consistent ventilation instead of continuous ventilation".

That means: If possible, open the opposite windows and possibly also the balcony or terrace doors for a few minutes instead of tilting the windows.

According to the energy-saving portal co2online, the following guidelines apply: 16 to 18 degrees for the bedroom, 18 to 20 degrees for the kitchen, 20 to 22 degrees for the living room and children's room and a warm 23 degrees for the bathroom.

Airing prevents mold growth

If the temperature in a room falls, the ability of the air to absorb moisture also falls.

At a certain point, water condenses, which can settle on cool exterior walls - the risk of mold growth increases.

However, energy expert Endres gives the all-clear: "It is not a problem to lower the room temperature in winter if the room is ventilated regularly." Ventilation should be at least after sleeping, after showering and before going to bed.

He also recommends every household to get a thermo-hygrometer, i.e. a device that measures both temperature and relative humidity.

The device should be located in a room that is as central as possible on an interior wall.

“Good thermo-hygrometers are available from as little as 20 euros.

As soon as I have one, I can base my ventilation behavior on the values.” The rule of thumb is: “40 to 60 percent relative humidity ensure a good indoor climate and reduce the risk of mold.”

Endres says that there is no need to worry that cold external walls can be exposed to higher levels of moisture, as long as there is no furniture in front of it and the room is aired out regularly.

Nevertheless, the living space should not be too cold in winter.

"As a rule of thumb, you can remember about 17 degrees as the lower limit; an apartment should only cool down more than five degrees if you're away for a long time," says Endres.

Seal windows for little money

Heat is often lost in winter through leaky windows and doors or skylights.

"A new window is not always necessary, often a new seal or the professional adjustment of the window is sufficient," says Endres.

"It is therefore important to check now in summer whether the windows and external doors are tight," says Endres.

His tip: open the window, put a piece of paper between the seal and the window frame, close the window completely.

"If the paper can be pulled out, the window is leaking. The paper should actually be stuck on all four sides of the window," says Endres.

Landlords would have the obligation to bring the tightness of windows and external doors into shape if necessary after notification and a deadline of 14 days.

"If the windows are leaking, I as a tenant should contact my landlord as soon as possible before the heating season so that he can remedy the defect." If the landlord does not comply with this obligation, the tenant can demand a rent reduction, especially with modern windows.

"In the case of older, leaking wooden windows, you can also take action yourself and buy a suitable sealing tape at a hardware store," says Endres.

Compared to a professional window specialist, this is botch, but the window can be sealed with it for the time being.

“But this is not long-term, as such adhesive tapes often do not last long.

For example, screw-on sealing strips and door bottom seals in the form of brushes can help with apartment entrances and house doors.”

Furniture move for more warmth

If the radiators in the room are covered or blocked, they cannot emit their heat well into the room air.

As a result, it stays cooler than you would like – or you turn the heating valve on more and more.

That's why it's worth checking the whole house in the summer to see if the radiators are free - and clearing them if necessary.

The campaign "80 million together for the energy change" of the Federal Ministry of Economics advises this with an alliance of associations.

Up to twelve percent of energy costs can be saved with this measure.

There should therefore be no sofas, chests of drawers, cupboards or home accessories in front of the radiators, and curtains should not cover the heating.

The consumer centers advise dusting the radiators from time to time – also from the inside.

Because the dust deposits also reduce the heating output.

The next part of the series deals with the question of how the heating system can be optimally adjusted and how energy can be saved in the basement.

With material from the dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-08-22

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