In winter, the outside temperatures drop and none of us wants to return home to a chilled flat. Therefore, for the majority of Austrians, switching on the heating is a must during the winter months. With the consequence that yours causes more than 50% of your household's energy costs. But how are you supposed to reduce these energy costs without freezing in your home?
As a real estate agent, I have met many house and flat owners who have reduced their heating costs many times over by making small changes. How did they do it? With the help of these 4 tricks:
Trick #1: Ventilate instead of tilting
Leave your windows wide open 3x a day for a few minutes (no more than 5 minutes in winter). The advantages over tilting the windows?
- The air can circulate better and leads to a better, fresher indoor climate
- Short shock ventilation prevents the walls from cooling down. After shock ventilation, the room is quickly warmed up again.
Trick #2: Heat only the common rooms
Switch on the heating only in your living rooms and close the room doors. This prevents the heat in the living room and bedroom from escaping into the corridors. Important tip: If you have underfloor heating, remove thick carpets from your living rooms. They reduce the heat output.
Trick #3 Bleed your radiators regularly
Vent your radiators once a year. This is best done at the beginning of the heating season. This will ensure that your radiators retain their heat output. Regular venting saves you up to 40 euros a year and 230 kg of Co².
Trick #4 Use of thermostatic valve and thermostop
Installing a thermostatic valve in a 25m² room will save you up to 50 euros a year. The same applies to the installation of a thermostop in an under-sink boiler.
Take these little tips to heart and you will be happy about a lower heating bill next year.
You want to know how to reduce the energy costs of your washing machine and dryer. Then read my blog post: Efficient washing and drying (to be published by 28.2.22 at the latest).
Yours sincerely,
Tamara Bacher
Photo: Racle Fotodesign - stock.adobe.com
My name is Bernhard Großruck. I work as a real estate agent and appraiser in Innsbruck and would like to give you helpful tips about real estate in this blog.