Heating, ventilation, and saving energy in everyday life
Only heat the room enough to make you feel comfortable whilst you're working!
- When adjusting the heating, bear in mind that raising the room temperature leads to a significant increase in energy consumption. Do not raise the temperature excessively, but only to a level where you feel comfortable whilst carrying out your activities. Also, keep in mind that it takes a while for the room temperature to rise.
- Do not heat rooms that are not in use. Turn the heating down when everyone has left the room.
- Keep the heat in the room. Keep windows and doors closed during the heating season. Ventilate the room by fully opening the windows for a few minutes.
- Keep radiators clear. This allows the heat to circulate more effectively throughout the room.
- Avoid using additional heating or cooling appliances where possible. If a room is consistently too cold or too warm for you, report the problem.
- Turn down the heating and close all windows before you go home.
Energy can also be saved in other areas of everyday life
As well as how we heat and ventilate our homes, there are other areas where we can very easily reduce our energy consumption:
- Switch off the lights when there is enough natural light or when nobody is in the room.
- Switch off all your appliances when you’re no longer using them. It’s even better if you unplug them from the socket.
Save a lot of energy with small changes
The energy crisis of 2022 is surely still fresh in all our minds. Even though the issue is no longer as omnipresent in the media, its effects can still be felt today. Then as now, the fact remains that through our behaviour, we can all play a part in determining how much energy we need for heating. The potential for savings should not be underestimated.
For example, if the room temperature is lowered from 21 °C to 20 °C, on average around 6 % less heating energy is required (Sperber et al., 2024). Depending on the building, the heating system and the outside temperature, the exact potential for savings may vary. Lowering the room temperature slightly can help save energy without compromising on comfort – sometimes all it takes is a thick winter sweater or a cup of hot chocolate.
To ensure that heat can circulate effectively throughout the room, radiators should be kept clear. Furthermore, windows and doors should remain closed as far as possible during the heating season to prevent unnecessary heat loss. Regular bursts of ventilation with windows wide open are usually sufficient to ensure good air circulation.
Unused rooms do not need to be heated to the full temperature either. If a room is not currently in use, the heating can be turned down accordingly. For example, a study at an American university showed that an automated system which took into account students’ actual use of the rooms was able to save 5–8 % of heating energy (Pritoni et al., 2016).
Keep reading on
Pritoni et al. (2016): Do occupancy-responsive learning thermostats save energy? A fieldstudy in university residence halls, Energy and Buildings, 127, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.05.024
Sperber et al. (2024): Turn down your thermostats – A contribution to overcoming the European gas crisis? The example of Germany, Heliyon, 10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e23974