Ways to reduce the cost of apartment, house, office and other types of heating

Content:

• Ways to reduce the cost of apartment, house, office and other types of heating.
• Savings on autonomous and centralized heating in the house.
• Reducing heating costs in apartments: basic steps.
• Ways to save money on autonomous heating of an apartment building.
• What does a heat pump provide?
• Useful habits.
• Economical office heating.

The constant growth of tariffs forces us to look for highly efficient tools to reduce the cost of maintaining a comfortable temperature regime in all types of buildings and premises. The direct consequence of ignoring this problem is monthly cost overruns, which is extremely undesirable from any point of view. Thus, the issue of economical heat consumption becomes a vital necessity.

What are the most effective ways to reduce heating costs?

The obvious areas of rapid loss of precious heat in buildings are doorways, window openings, as well as floor, ceiling and ventilation ducts. Approximate percentages, which are individual for each case, are shown in the diagram.

In order to develop effective measures to improve the situation with heat loss, it is advisable to conduct a preliminary analysis and find out where the greatest amount of heat is lost. The most significant heat losses are through:

• ceilings (roof)
• windows and other structures that transmit light
• ventilation system
• walls and exterior finishes
• floor

Savings on autonomous and centralized heating in the house

Heating costs directly depend on energy consumption. Less gas or other fuel burned means lower bills, and a meter is a prerequisite.
Residents of buildings with centralized heating have a harder time achieving the desired effect, although comprehensive measures can be quite effective. For example, installing state-of-the-art energy-saving windows and high-quality facade insulation, combined with the installation of a heat meter (with the ability to regulate consumption), can provide good savings.

Reducing heating costs in apartments: basic steps

A modern approach to solving this issue involves not only reducing heat consumption, but also efficient management of available resources, which are complemented by appropriate energy-saving habits. An indicative procedure (to be developed individually in each case) includes:

• replacing wooden windows with plastic windows (replacing plastic windows with fewer double-glazed windows with plastic windows with more double-glazed windows). As a result, the heating savings will be complemented by getting rid of the impact of street dust and noise;
• checking the general exchange ventilation, installing (if necessary) supply and exhaust equipment with a heat recovery option. These measures will reduce heat losses by about 15-20%;
• replacement of old-generation heating boilers with modern condensing models with advanced automation (minus 20-30% of monthly energy consumption);
• full inspection of the floors with their subsequent insulation;
• thermal insulation of walls (there are many finishing options on the market).

Attempts to significantly save on thermal insulation materials and work can have negative consequences, meaning that the expected effect will not be achieved. Even significant investments in thermal insulation finishes pay off within a few winters.

Ways to save money with autonomous heating of an apartment building

New buildings with personal heating systems for each apartment are usually built using modernized technologies, so there is no need for urgent additional insulation.

What can be done if the building was built several years or decades ago?

You need to create a homeowners' association (HOA). Replace windows, carry out thermal insulation work (primarily on the facades). In addition, heating stations and heating equipment are equipped or modernized.

Is it possible to save on heating if the apartment cannot be disconnected from the district heating system?

In such cases, it is advisable to install a meter that will allow you to keep individual records of the heat consumed, but you will first have to obtain all the necessary permits. The receipts indicate the amount for the actual heat consumed and additionally the cost of general house heating (heating of entrances).

What does a circulation pump do?

Pumping equipment promotes forced circulation of the coolant and is characterized by low energy consumption. Thus, an inexpensive compact device helps to solve the problem of low efficiency of the heating system (especially in old houses).

Saving on heat if you have a gas boiler.

The following options are possible:

• installing a new model with increased efficiency (efficient heating with low gas consumption)
• installation of a compact heat pump in parallel;
• reconfiguring the heating system to reduce the upper temperature limit for water heating (this will extend the service life of the boiler heat exchanger, reduce the amount of scale and minimize gas bills);
• use of an air conditioner with heat pump functionality for heating;
• installing room thermostats;

Thermoregulation

Installing radiator thermostats and underfloor heating thermostats is a very effective method of saving money.

How this method works:

• heating is switched on in the rooms where the residents are staying (other rooms are switched to minimum heating mode);
• the heating of rooms that are fully heated by the sun's rays is temporarily stopped;
• the heating intensity in the kitchen with the stove on is reduced;
• the boiler is reprogrammed to turn on when the residents return home (if no one is home, the boiler can be turned off altogether, and the temperature will not have time to drop to a critical level);
• the temperature decreases before going to bed (cool air helps to improve the quality of rest);
• heating is provided by wood boilers, stoves or fireplaces (if available) in summer cottages and other temporary housing;
• the "Vacation" mode is activated in thermostats to maintain the temperature at +10...+12 degrees (in cases when you need to leave home for a long time);
• the maximum air temperature is limited.

It is quite difficult to understand how to save heating in cases where the premises are heated up to +28 or +30 degrees every day. If you reduce the heating threshold to +20...+24 degrees, the savings will be more than significant. At this temperature, the heating boiler is not overloaded.
It is possible to choose one or several ways to significantly reduce costs. The idea of modern energy algorithms involves minimal payments without discomfort due to cold or dampness.

Good habits

In addition to the above methods that help save heat and improve microclimate characteristics, it is necessary to keep in mind the habit factor:

• taking a shower instead of a bath is an effective way to save water (up to 70%) and reduce electricity or gas consumption;
• installing sprayers on taps also provides some water savings;
• use of curtains that do not cover radiators, which helps to ensure unhindered distribution of heat that is not concentrated near the windowsill.

Economical office heating

If the office is located in a separate building or it occupies a part of a large building, it is advisable to consider installing specialized industrial climate systems. Another effective way to heat the air is to install multi-zone, individually controlled units.
If you rent an office, it is up to the owner to save heat in the building where the office is located. In particular, you can equip radiators with individual heat meters, taking into account the specifics of installing meters related to battery wiring.

How to save heat in the office: several effective algorithms

Effective methods of minimizing energy costs include the following:

• modernizing gas heating, installing a heat pump, switching to an air-to-air or air-to-water heating model
• installation of metal-plastic windows with improved thermal insulation properties;
• installation of blinds (create an additional barrier for air masses);
• replacement of radiators with fan coil units (savings are achieved by stopping heating the entire air layer from floor to ceiling);
• use of a thermostat with a scheduled activation option;
• adjusting the temperature using wall thermostats.
  

Economical room heating with air curtains
Curtains that cut off air flows should be installed in rooms where doors are systematically opened and closed.

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