Central heating ! Since it spreads this soft sensation of heat in our homes, a thermal comfort unmatched until now! A beginning of the 80s… Today, with the multiple crises we are experiencing, and the low temperatures that assail us, we have to be much more realistic and moderate. Heating is already synonymous with energy savings, tips to lower the energy bill, which is increasing. The radiator is sometimes the forgotten element of the whole system. However, her radiance does it all! So how to save money, setting it up correctly.
A few simple gestures on the radiator can help you save money! source: spm
The electric or circulating convector thanks to a heat transfer fluid requires close supervision. It is true that it consumes energy, it is a matter of mastering it, but it is also important not to neglect the comfort and health of the family… because humidity is a threat. We could even say without too much error that this wet phenomenon is even more crucial for two reasons. The first lies in the correct insulation of your home, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Your efforts pay off, to the point of confining the air and sometimes creating thermal shocks. The second, of course, is the health of the family. Living in a space loaded with humidity is not healthy: respiratory problems, fatigue and even headaches. So what ideal temperature makes it possible to reconcile all these restrictions?
Of course, you will be interested in all the convectors in the home. However, Two environments require your attention: the bedroom and the bathroom. That the humidity is there is evident, even for the bedroom: breathing during sleep, combined with the heat, comes to charge the environment with warm and humid air. That is why ADEME, Agency for the Energy Transition, recommends heating these rooms between 16 and 19°C.
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Everyone loves their comfortable bed… Take care of the radiator in the room, saving is key. source: spm
For the bathroom, we take care to raise the thermostat of the sanitary installations, no more than 21°C. Its radiator, equipped with a thermostatic valve, plays its full role. Once heated, change the thermostat to prevent overheating. The fluid and the rays of the convector will do the rest. In the bedroom, for the cold, the warmest blankets will calm down. In the bathroom, an extra electric fan or heated towel rail will do the rest.
Saving money means fighting humidity.
To continue reconciling comfort and energy savings, ADEME also recommends ventilating your home and periodically checking the ventilation openings, which can collect high humidity and expel it to the outside and prevent its accumulation. The air humidity level should be between 40 and 70% in the air in the house. Drying the apartment also implies opening the windows in the rooms at least a quarter of an hour a day. (If possible 15 minutes in the morning and at night). Of course, you will have been careful to turn off the heating. This simple daily gesture improves air quality and avoids for many the thermal bridge phenomena that cause mold and respiratory problems in both adults and children. Fortunately, you have your natural pharmacy!
Guaranteeing the proper functioning of the radiator, the central heating, is to make real savings!
In addition to the boiler, it is important to take care of the correct routing of the heat transfer fluid. Sometimes your convector heats up at the top but not at the bottom, or it gets knocked… These problems can be solved quickly with a minimum of tools, time and knowledge. So remember to periodically bleed your radiator, leave it free of any support and, finally, many times we forget to clean it of dust and other dirt that accumulates. The restoration will be immediate and the energy performance of your radiator optimized.
Also, if the radiators do not really need decoration, you can help them enormously by associating them with curtains… since they are in front of the windows. Fabric panels provide insulation and also let in natural heat, that of the sun..
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Put up curtains. source: spm
In addition, the entrance door in contact with unheated corridors or with the outside can cause problems with cold drafts. It can be insulated by slipping the number of cotton adhesive tapes into the slots. To repel the flow of cold air, a beautiful curtain, decorated to your liking installed in front of the door, it not only reminds the whole family that a door is closing, but also brings more thermal comfort to the house.
As you will have understood, your radiator is an important element when it comes to reconciling comfort and saving on the energy bill. Just give it some time to fix it and everything will be back to normal.
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