Silent Waste: Fight the energy guzzlers in the basement

Created: 08/23/2022, 20:00

By: Sebastian Hölzle

When it comes to saving energy, everyone immediately thinks of refrigerators, lights, televisions and the like. But some energy guzzlers are also lurking in the basement.

Munich - Cellars are often neglected when it comes to saving energy.

A lot of money can be saved there.

The best tips and tricks at a glance:

Flat heating curve saves energy

In many houses there is central heating in the basement, which is fired with fuel oil, gas or pellets.

The heated water that is pumped into the radiators in the living rooms or into the underfloor heating is often referred to by craftsmen as the flow.

The flow temperature is controlled via the heating curve.

The principle behind it is easy to understand: "Heating curve is what tells the boiler: Watch out, I'm measuring an outside temperature of minus ten degrees with my sensor outdoors, so I have to regulate the flow temperature to the heating surfaces upwards accordingly," explains Norbert Endres, energy consultant for the consumer center in Bavaria.

"Depending on the outside temperature, there is a different flow temperature," he adds.

“If you want to save energy, you should keep the heating curve as flat as possible.

Because the lower the flow temperature, the lower the heat losses of the heating system.

The aim is therefore to keep the heating curve as low as possible while at the same time achieving the necessary temperatures.

In the course of regular maintenance, inform the heating contractor about the adjustment of the heating curve.

The setting of the heating curve is explained in many operating instructions.

In that case, you can also adapt it yourself based on the description.”

Energy expert: heating curve set too high in most houses

However, the reality in many houses looks different: "In an estimated 90 percent of cases, the heating curve is set far too high," observes Olaf Zimmermann, master central heating and ventilation engineer from Munich.

Zimmermann runs the Heiz-Obermeier company in Munich and is also head foreman of the Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning Guild in Munich.

"I'd say I can easily shift almost any heating curve down a degree or two," he says.

This simple trick can often save between five and ten percent in energy.

“Many still look to a time when winters were severe and long.

But that is no longer the case.”

Zimmermann advises more courage to deal with the control technology of your own heating system.

"Many say: I can't go there, I can do something wrong - but that's not true," he says.

"You can play with the flow temperature, and after a year everyone knows where the optimum lies for them." His tip: "In most houses, a temperature of between 55 and 60 degrees is sufficient for the heating flow." By the way: This also applies to gas boilers , which are often installed in rented apartments, the flow temperature can be controlled and reduced

Concerns about legionella are often unfounded

According to Norbert Endres from the consumer advice center, the concern about legionella in drinking water is unfounded in many cases if the hot water temperature is slightly lower.

"It should be a minimum of 50 degrees, from this temperature legionella no longer multiply." 60 degrees is the general recommendation in a family home.

"There are also boilers that have a legionella switch and heat up to 70 degrees once a day." In the end, a possible legionella contamination of the drinking water depends on many factors - such as the size of the pipe system in the house.

His advice is therefore: "Talk to your heating contractor or energy consultant about what temperature makes sense for your heating system." 

also read

VW and Mercedes-Benz push cooperation with Canada

Eurozone Consumer Sentiment: Surprising rise

Switch off night reduction: "Not necessary"

Many heating systems turn down the temperature at night.

"Night setback is not necessary for most buildings," says Zimmermann.

"Night shut-off is even better - then no pump is running at all and nothing is consumed." On very cold nights, the night setback can be reset at any time.

Insulate fittings in the boiler room

During his numerous home visits, Zimmermann always has the same experience: "As soon as I'm in the boiler room, I start sweating because it's much too warm there." The reason: some pipes are not insulated, and fittings in particular are often not insulated.

"This is still widespread, but good insulation can easily save ten to 20 percent of energy".

Depending on the system, for example in a detached house, the costs for professional insulation are kept within reasonable limits at between 200 and 400 euros.

However, the consumer advice centers point out that the measure is worthwhile and that it could save money in the long term.

Exchange the boiler for a smaller one

If the household is getting smaller, it can be worth replacing the large boiler with a smaller model.

"The smaller boiler consumes much less energy," says heating engineer Zimmermann.

"But many still keep their big boiler, even though the children have long since left the house," he observes. 

Do not dry laundry in the boiler room

Zimmermann repeatedly finds that the boiler room is being misused as a laundry room or hobby room.

"But older heating systems - whether for gas or oil - often use the room air for combustion," he says.

"If fluff is drawn in, this reduces efficiency, in the worst case the device can even break." Sawing wood or generating unnecessary dust in the boiler room should therefore also be avoided.

Reduce pump speed

According to the consumer advice centers, the heating pumps are “true power guzzlers”.

The experts recommend installing a high-efficiency pump.

In the short term, there is a second alternative: "The pump speed is often set much too high," says heating engineer Zimmermann.

"If you turn it down, that already saves a lot of electricity." Despite the currently tense situation in the trades, it is still possible this summer to find a company that will take a look at the boiler room, especially if you are a regular customer .

“Today, our craftsmen are trained to look at energy efficiency.

But since energy has been so cheap in recent years, nobody was interested in the topic.” 

Insulate without expensive craftsmen

There are also places in the basement where anyone with a little manual skill can make things more efficient themselves.

"A good price-performance ratio can often be achieved if the basement ceiling is insulated," says energy expert Endres from the consumer advice center.

This means that the living spaces on the ground floor require less energy, and living comfort is also increased.

Corresponding insulation boards are available from ten euros per square meter.

"You can also lend a hand there, since the insulation of the basement ceiling is often uncritical in terms of building physics - after all, a basement room doesn't have the deep minus temperatures like the outside area, where it's better to let professionals do it."

Incidentally, such simple insulation measures can not only be carried out in the basement: "In the special case when the ceiling of the top floor is made of concrete, you can also lay the insulation boards yourself in the attic," says Endres.

In all cases, it is important to follow the manufacturer's installation recommendations - and you've already saved a lot of energy: "An insulated basement ceiling saves between five and ten percent of the total energy costs in a detached house, because heat rises, it is in a completely insulated one Attic even up to 20 percent.”

A lot of energy can also be saved in the boiler room.

© IMAGO / McPHOTO

Warm air can also escape from the house due to a leaking roller shutter box.

You can also insulate these yourself – this saves up to ten euros per square meter and year in energy.

The material is available in hardware stores and costs 15 to 30 euros per square meter.

You either use flexible insulating boards that are fitted into the box and fixed there.

However, the consumer advice centers recommend high-performance insulation boards made of polyurethane or phenolic resin, as they have lower thermal conductivity.

The passage of the belt and the roller shutter gap can be equipped with a brush seal - for 10 to 15 euros per roller shutter box.

Motion detector for the basement lighting

A motion and presence detector doesn't cost much and can help save electricity, according to the industry

.

These detectors switch the light on automatically when entering the room and off again when leaving.

This prevents the light from accidentally being left on in the basement. 

Defrost the freezer regularly

There are often chest freezers in the basement – ​​and they use electricity.

Regular defrosting of the chest freezer is important because a thick layer of ice in the freezer acts as thermal insulation.

This increases power consumption.

According to the non-profit consulting

, even a five millimeter thin layer of ice in a freezer increases electricity consumption by around 30 percent. 

Defrosting is faster if you leave the appliance door open.

Less obvious is the advice from the experts at the Washing Forum not to loosen the layers of ice with a knife or other sharp and pointed metal objects.

You could damage the material underneath.

A tip for this: Use a pan scraper made of flexible plastic to remove the pieces of ice and thus speed up defrosting.

The condensation water is caught either with a small bowl or towels.

If the device is wide enough, the experts have another piece of advice: put a deep baking tray in the bottom of the device.

Attention: Some freezers also have their own defrost water drain, under which you have to place a bowl.

Older devices in particular build up thick layers of ice on the inside over time and thus consume a lot of energy unnecessarily.

This is rarely the case with modern devices.

Save energy: Unplug the second refrigerator

In many basements there are second refrigerators or beverage refrigerators - whose usefulness in winter is often questionable.

It's a simple energy-saving tip: Every electrical device in the house that is not used often should be unplugged after each use.

Refrigerators and freezers in particular consume a lot of electricity, according to the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeranian Consumer Advice Center.

With material from the dpa.