The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler. Many of us will be thinking about switching on our heating for the first time in many months, but what is the best and most cost-effective way to switch on our heating again after the summer months? The heating and ventilation expert Kurt Van Campenhout gave VRT News a few tips to prepare your home for the cold winter months as cost-effectively as possible.
Now the weather is starting to get cooler is it time to switch on the heating?: “Don’t wait until it’s freezing cold”
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Start heating slowly from as soon as oudoor temperatures fall below 16°C
“If you use hot tap water to cook your potatoes, they will cook faster than with cold water. It's just the same with your central heating. Use the remains of the summer heat that to an extend is still lingering in your home. Start up your heating earlier and slower, once outdoor temperatures fall to 16°C or 17°C. By doing this you will get your home warm faster”, Kurt Van Campenhout said.
So don’t wait until it gets really cold, because starting up your boiler when it has been idle for many months uses a lot of energy and energy coasts money.
"So don't take pride in being the last stoic resident of your street to be turning on the heating. If you do the temperature gap that needs to be bridged will be all the greater. This will make starting up your heating all the more expensive and it is also not as good for your home”, Kurt Van Campenhout said.
Don't ventilate, dust!
“People often think they need to bleed all their radiators annually in order to heat more efficiently. With a new system, this may be necessary for the first two years. However, if you need to this that annually after that, you should contact a professional, because this would indicate that there is something wrong with your heating system”. A heating system is a closed system and in principle no air should be able to enter it.
What you do need to do to keep your radiators working as efficiently as possible is to dust them. As radiators give off heat by radiation and convection they attract dust. “The more dust there is in your radiators, the more the heat that is blocked. People then start turning the heating up a few degrees, but that is not energy efficient”.’
Its best to be thorough and dust in between the panels. The best well to do this is to “Put a collector tray under the radiator and pour water between the panels. This is the only way that you will definitely get all the dust out”.
Get your boiler and your chimney checked
Kurt Van Campenhout adds that “Nobody likes to suddenly find themselves without heating in the middle of winter. That's why it's always best to make get your boiler checked at the start of the autumn”.
Regular maintenance checks, annually for fuel oil and solid fuel boilers and biannually for gas boilers are mandatory. This is not the case for wood burners and pellet heaters. Although checks are not mandatory for these types of boiler, Kurt Van Campenhout strongly advises that they are carried out. Not least because a faulty combustion heater can result in fire or or carbon monoxide poisoning.
“It is very important to clean your chimney. With pellet burners this should preferably be done every six months”.
If you rent your home, you as a tenant are responsible for arranging the maintenance inspection and not your landlord.