As of: October 20, 2023 10:11 a.m
An optimal heating setting and simple measures can help save energy and reduce costs. However, lowering the temperature in the living area has limits.
Even if gas and oil are cheaper again this year than in 2022, you can save a lot of money on heating and at the same time do something for climate protection. According to the Federal Environment Agency, heating uses more than two thirds of the total energy in private households. There is therefore great potential for savings, especially when it comes to heating. If you reduce the temperature in the entire house by just one degree, you save around six percent of energy, explains Hermann-Josef Tenhagen, editor-in-chief of “Finanztip”, on NDR Info live.
Optimal room temperature is crucial for heating costs
According to the Federal Environment Agency, the room temperature in the living area should not be more than 20 degrees if this is perceived as comfortable. The recommendation is 18 degrees in the kitchen and 17 degrees in the bedroom – always adjusted to individual sensitivity. The optimal temperature depends on the age and health of the residents.
Not less than 19 degrees recommended in living areas
The lower the temperature in a room, the more likely mold is to form. The Federal Environment Agency therefore warns against turning down the heating in heavily used apartments to less than 16 to 18 degrees during the heating season. At these temperatures, the risk of mold increases massively, especially in old and poorly insulated buildings. This has a negative impact on health and building structure. If possible, the temperature in rooms where you spend long periods of time during the day should not be less than 19 degrees.
Proper ventilation minimizes the risk of mold formation
To prevent mold, you should also ventilate regularly. The quickest way is to use cross ventilation, where windows in opposite rooms are opened wide. In the cold winter months, five minutes is usually enough. The draft quickly exchanges the warm, moist air. Continuous ventilation with tilted windows, on the other hand, wastes a lot of energy.
Further information
If you rarely ventilate, you increase the risk of mold. In Corona times, the exchange of air also reduces the risk of infection. more
Thermostats with numbers: Which level represents which temperature?
Many households still have thermostats installed without a digital display of the room temperature, on which levels from one to five can only be set with a rotary movement. But what temperatures do these levels represent? And how can the heat be reduced from 21 to 20 degrees, for example? If the heating system is set correctly, the individual levels correspond to the following room temperatures, according to the consumer advice center:
5: About 28 Grad4: About 24 Grad3: About 20 Grad2: About 16 Grad1: About 12 Grad
The lines between the numbers represent a gradation of temperatures. Each line corresponds approximately to one degree. If you are not sure whether the temperature is correct, you can use a thermometer. It could also make sense to install new thermostats that regulate better, says expert Tenhagen.
What snowflake, star and sun mean on the heater
If the thermostat head is at the last point before four, the room is heated to around 23 degrees.
The symbol of the snowflake or star represents the coldest level on many thermostats. The heating switches on automatically at this level on cold winter days when the temperature in the room drops below 6 degrees. For good reason: A constant temperature of 6 degrees means that the water in the heater cannot freeze, even on cold winter days. This protects pipes and heating from frost damage and owners from costly repairs.
The symbol of the sun indicates the optimal temperature for rooms in which residents stay during the day. It can be found at level 3 and is therefore around 20 degrees.
Is it cheaper to turn off the heating at night?
The symbol of the crescent moon stands for the so-called night subsidence. The night reduction is usually between levels one and two and therefore around 14 degrees. In most cases it is not advisable to turn off the heating completely at night. Reheating a cold home in the morning uses a lot of energy, which can negate savings and even cost more. Lowering the heating to a minimum of 16 degrees at night can be a good solution.
Whether night-time reduction makes sense depends largely on the individual condition and insulation of a building. It is often worthwhile to have the heating system adjusted to suit your needs by a specialist company. The basic rule is: the worse a building is insulated, the greater the potential for savings by reducing the heating at night. In well-insulated buildings, however, the savings effect is less significant. But that doesn’t change the fact that good building insulation saves more energy overall, because poorly insulated buildings have high heat loss.
Heating does not warm up faster at level five
If you turn the heating up to full blast, you won’t get warm any quicker.
Many people in cold apartments initially turn the heating to the fifth level so that it warms up more quickly. From an energetic point of view, this is not a good idea. Because the thermostat is not comparable to turning on a tap. It only regulates what temperature should be reached at the end and not how quickly it happens. If you turn the heating up to full capacity and then forget to turn it back down, you heat more than you would like and thus use energy unnecessarily.
Bleed the heater and refill the water
If radiators gurgle and don’t get really warm despite the valve being fully open, air may have collected in them. This can be drained through the vent valve on the side of the radiator: maintain the cup, open the screw with small pliers and let out air until only water comes out. Many radiators require special bleed keys, which are available at hardware stores.
If a lot of air has been removed, water may need to be added to the heating circuit. A look at the pressure display on the boiler or heater shows whether this is necessary. If you want to save yourself the trouble of regularly venting, you can install special automatic venting valves on the radiator.
Avoid drafts: seal windows and doors
If there is a slight draft in the room, the temperature feels lower than it actually is. Windows and doors should therefore close well. Leaks can be discovered with a burning candle that flickers when there is a draft. Adhesive seals from the hardware store provide a solution. Doors to the stairwell in particular should not let any air in from below. Seals with brush strips are flexible and close gaps even centimeters wide.
Insulate niches, heating pipes and windows yourself
Houses from the 1950s to 1970s usually have thin, poorly insulated walls. Here it is helpful to insulate the radiator niches with polystyrene foam panels with an aluminum coating. They reflect heat and keep it in the room. The material from the hardware store is simply glued to the wall. To ensure that radiators can optimally distribute heat into the room, they should not be covered by curtains or furniture.
In single-family homes, the boiler is usually in the basement. On the way into the living space, the heating pipes give off unnecessary heat – so a lot of energy is lost. Insulating pipe insulation from the hardware store can be easily installed yourself.
A lot of heat is lost through the windows at night, even with modern double or triple glazing. This is particularly true for large glass surfaces on balconies or terraces. Closed blinds or curtains can reduce heat loss.
Maintain and modernize heating regularly
A specialist company should adjust the heating precisely to the energy requirements.
There are also measures that must be left to a specialist company. This includes regularly maintaining and cleaning the heating system. It’s worth taking a look at the circulation pump. Old models consume a lot of electricity because they always work at full load. Modern pumps adapt their performance to requirements and are therefore more economical. If necessary, an exchange is worthwhile.
With a so-called hydraulic balancing, all components of the heating system are optimally adapted to one another and to the heat requirements in the house. However, this setting costs up to 1,000 euros. A specialist company should also set the flow temperature as required.
Check provider change
When buying oil and gas for your boiler, Tenhagen from “Finanztip” recommends using comparison portals. It is sometimes possible to save several hundred euros by switching to a cheaper provider. Given the currently comparatively low heating oil prices, he also recommends filling the tank as soon as possible so that it lasts until May.
Building Energy Act: State funding and low-interest loans
According to Tenhagen, it also makes sense to take a closer look at the question of replacing the heating system. With a heat pump, for example, you can become independent of fluctuating markets. The federal government provides extensive funding for such an exchange. With the amended Building Energy Act (GEG) coming into force on January 1, 2024, switching to at least 65 percent renewable energy when installing a new heating system is generally mandatory. However, a transition period applies to existing buildings. There are also low-interest loans for replacing heating systems and options for deducting the costs from tax. The details are regulated by the so-called federal funding for efficient buildings.
Further information
New heating, new windows, new roof: homeowners receive funding for energy-efficient renovations, for example for heat pumps. more
Heat pumps enable climate-friendly heating. What types of pumps are there and how well do they work in old buildings? more
Current data shows what new customers are currently paying for gas and how the price is developing in historical comparison. more
Consumers continue to pay a lot for gas. What can you do if there is a price increase? How does the gas price brake work? more
Gas storage level, gas consumption, gas imports: The most important data in the live overview. more
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NDR Info | Oct 18, 2023 | 3:15 p.m