December 11, 2022, 5:47 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Heating has become extremely expensive. So we try to heat as little as possible. The result: burst water pipes or mold. But it’s possible to do both: protect the house and save energy. How do you proceed?
It’s already quite cold outside, yet not everyone is heating yet. And many are heating less than in previous years. The most cited reason according to a YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency dpa: saving money. But even if you wrap yourself in five sweaters, there are moments when you should turn the thermostat to protect your house from the effects of the cold. Mold can quickly form, or pipes could freeze. Here are two tips on how to heat without causing damage and save money at the same time.
1. The Right Base Temperature in Frost
When it’s bitterly cold outside and the room temperature also drops significantly, water pipes in the building can freeze. The German Energy Consultant Network recommends a room temperature of 16 degrees on cold days, and 18 degrees for poorly insulated buildings.
The minimum is often the frost protection setting on the radiators–that’s the snowflake on your thermostat. This setting prevents the radiator and possibly the pipes in its immediate vicinity from freezing in a very cold room.
But you need to be aware: Parts of the pipes that are not within the frost protection’s range can freeze and possibly burst. Homeowners should therefore find out if there are water-carrying pipes in frost-prone areas of their house before allowing the temperature to drop further in these areas.
Related: 6 common heating mistakes that can become very expensive
2. Heating Seldom-Used Rooms Without Damage
Do you have a large house or apartment and don’t use all the rooms constantly? Then it makes sense not to heat these rooms as much as the busy living areas. However, to prevent mold growth in these cooler rooms, you should ensure that a normal humidity level of 40 to 50 percent is maintained, advises Wolfgang Lorenz from the Federal Association for Mold Remediation. This can be achieved by keeping the doors closed and ventilating frequently.
Tip: You can measure the humidity level with a hygrometer, which can be purchased for just a few dollars.
One more thing to consider when you want to heat without causing damage: You should not cross-ventilate less heated and well-heated rooms together. “Because the moist warm air from the heated rooms quickly settles on the cooler walls of the un- or less-heated rooms,” says Lorenz. This creates good growth conditions for mold spores. So, each less-heated room should be ventilated individually with wide-open windows.
Also interesting: Move furniture away from cold exterior walls in winter
with material from dpa