Money-saving tips.
You can save a lot of energy by keeping a close eye on your consumption. The tips below will help you reduce your energy consumption even further. How to save heat and water!
Stock tips.
Keeping track of your consumption on a regular basis can help you use heat more efficiently. If you have a radio-readable heat meter or radiator meters, you can monitor your consumption via our residents' portal My ista and via the app. This service is available to all residents of the building where you live. Ask your property manager for more information.
Cracks in walls or windows that do not close properly can significantly lower the temperature in your home, forcing you to turn up the heating. Even the smallest opening can cause a persistent cold draught. Not only is this a waste of energy, it is also unhealthy and uncomfortable.
Therefore, seal cracks in walls immediately and have the insulation of your windows checked regularly. This can save you up to ten percent on your heating costs! Double glazing and appropriate heat insulation measures also contribute to reducing heating costs.
A room temperature of 21° is pleasant, but not always necessary; rooms such as the guest room or hallway do not need to be as warm as, for example, the living room. By properly regulating your heat demand, you can save energy and therefore money.
Recommended temperatures:
- Living room: 21°
- Bathroom: 23 °
- Bedrooms: 18 °
- Kitchen: 18 °
- Dining room: 20 °
As a general rule, reducing the temperature by one degree can save you up to 7% on your heating costs.
Only use radiators when necessary. This applies particularly in spring and autumn.
Do not heat rooms that you are not using. However, prevent freezing or significant cooling by heating adjoining rooms slightly in extremely cold weather.
If you have thermostatic valves, adjust them slightly if you want it a little warmer or cooler. If you turn them all the way open or closed, you will experience excessive temperature fluctuations.
Good ventilation is very important for removing daily moisture from your home. Heating a damp room costs more energy than heating a dry room.
Warning: if you have thermostatic valves, do not opt for 'continuous ventilation' (e.g. leaving a window open all day). If cold air constantly flows over the thermostat, the valve will 'open' and the radiator will start to heat up. This can result in 'undesirable' heat loss.
Do not place casings around your radiators and do not hang curtains or drapes over them. The heat will then remain trapped behind the curtains. Heavy furniture placed in front of your radiators will also block the heat.
If you are away from home for an extended period of time, there is no need to heat your home. Your walls and furniture will easily keep your home at the right temperature for several weeks. Therefore, our tip is to turn off the heating as much as possible when you are away for two to three weeks during the winter months. The ideal setting is the so-called 'anti-freeze mode' (ice symbol on the thermostat). This protects your radiators and flat from frost, but you do not waste valuable energy.
It is very tempting to dry laundry on the radiator. After all, it dries faster that way. However, this wastes heat, which cannot properly heat your room. The same applies to curtains hanging over your radiators. The heat then remains behind the curtains. You then have to use more energy to get your living room to the desired temperature.
If it is too warm in the house, do not immediately open the windows, but first turn down the heating thermostat.
Ensure effective draught proofing. It is a shame when valuable heat escapes through gaps and cracks. Effective draught proofing prevents this.
Half an hour before going to bed, set the heating to night mode (± 15 °C). It will then remain warm for a while. Do not set the heating lower than 15 °C, as it takes a lot of energy to bring the house back up to the right temperature. What's more, moisture in a cold house will settle on the walls and furniture.
Saving water.
You can read your water consumption yourself on the water meter. Keeping track of how much water you use each month can help you use water more sparingly. If you have a radio-readable water meter, you can monitor your meter reading weekly via the Monitoring for Residents service on the ista web portal and via the ista app. Ask your property manager for more information.
Do not leave the tap running unnecessarily, for example while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your hands. Repair leaking taps. All those drops can quickly add up to 1,500 litres of water per year without you even noticing.
Use a water-saving button on the toilet and choose a shower with a water-saving shower head.
By using water-saving variants, your water consumption can be reduced by 30%, from an average of 126 litres to less than 90 litres per person per day.
Only run a wash when the machine is full. Washing machines consume a lot of water and energy. By using these appliances consciously, you not only save water, but also energy. An energy-efficient washing machine or dishwasher can significantly reduce your annual consumption. Machines with an A label use the least energy.
When washing your car, you can save three quarters of the water by using buckets instead of a garden hose. This can save you over 100 litres of water per wash.
Using hot water sparingly also means using the energy needed to heat water sparingly. Only use hot water when really necessary. You can do many household chores with cold water.
Taking a bath is an expensive business: the water and energy consumption for a full bath is equivalent to that of an 18-minute shower. The average shower lasts around six minutes, which is three times cheaper than taking a bath. This can easily save you €80 per year.