Are you sure you are heating your home correctly? These are the 8 most common mistakes made
In winter, increasingly lower temperatures lead to a progressive cooling of our homes and the consequent need to turn on stoves, fireplaces and our heating systems. A warm and welcoming home is vital for our well-being and for this reason, we prioritize heating without thinking about the expense and impact on the environment.
Many of us commit some very common mistakes when heating our homes, which significantly increases our energy bills; knowing about these and avoiding them is therefore an excellent strategy to make savings, as well as protecting the environment from the risks associated to pollution.
To properly prepare for the winter, we remind you here of the 8 most common mistakes made when heating homes.
1. Incorrect thermostat settings
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Our first instinct when we feel that the house getting cold, is to increase the temperature on our thermostats, setting them to a significantly higher temperature. And this is the first big mistake: forcing the system into "overdrive" can damage it.
Further, the rate at which your home will heat up will always be the same - no matter what temperature you set - so set your thermostat at a reasonable temperature: 19 or 20 degrees C will be more than enough to provide thermal comfort.
2. Errors in automatic turn-on settings
Keeping the heating on all the time, even when we are not at home, is as counterproductive as turning it off completely. In order for our system to work efficiently and to keep temperatures constant without excessive consumption, it is important to learn how to correctly regulate its automatic turn-on settings.
Invest in programmable/"smart" thermostats to regulate the turned-on periods; in fact, if you reduce the temperature by a few degrees at night and when you are out, it will be easier to bring the temperature back to optimal levels when necessary and at the same time, you will avoid unnecessary heat loss.
3. Covering the radiators
It must be admitted that radiators are not exactly beautiful furnishing accessories. But covering them with curtains or other covers, however, is not a good idea at all. By doing so, the circulation of heat will be hindered and your radiators will have to work harder to provide adequate heating.
4. Not sealing doors and windows
Proper attention must be paid to the correct sealing of doors and windows when winter arrives; in fact, when the windows are not perfectly sealed, they can let in annoying, cold drafts. Lighten the load on your heating system by eliminating any cracks and gaps in/around doors and windows. If necessary, invest in decent thermal insulation kits which are available on the market.
5. Relying on space heaters
When our heating system isn't working properly, we tend to add a few space heaters. But these appliances only heat the immediate vicinity (or only small rooms), without solving the problem at its root.
6. Using fireplaces and stoves
The limitations of space heaters also applies to fireplaces and wood/pellet stoves. Although they can be nice to look at and very efficient in heating, if these devices are not properly ducted, they will only heat the immediate environment, leaving more remote rooms cold. Inefficient fireplaces and stoves also run the risk of increasing or accelerating the cooling of your homes once they are out.
7. Using bathroom fans for too long
Bathroom fans are extremely helpful in removing excessive humidity and unpleasant odors from the air, keeping it fresh and clean. However, if you leave these on for too long, you could cause your home to become cold and over-dry.
8. Forgetting about maintenance
Finally, we recommend that you have a regular maintenance plan you stick to to keep your system fully efficient at all times. An old and neglected system will inevitably consume more power and produce poorer results.
Do you make any of these 8 heating mistakes?
