Over the past decade, I’ve lived in nearly every type of energy-rated home in the Netherlands. These ranged from A to C, D, and even E. Each rating carries its own story of comfort. There are compromises, but one thing is clear. The ease and warmth of an energy label A home is truly unmatched.
That said, living in less efficient houses taught me something invaluable. I discovered small, practical ways to cut down on energy use, and with it, my monthly bills. Read below six handy tips to lower your energy bills.
1. Ventilate
Did you know that just ten minutes of opening the windows can help the house to heat up quicker? Counter intuitive right? This occurs because fresh air is less moist than the stale air in the house. As a result, the house heats up quicker.
2. Buy a smart thermostat
It is very easy to forget to turn of the temperature before you go to bed. Also it is quite annoying to wake up in the cold. With a smart thermostat you can set up the heating to start up just half hour before you wake up. Also, it is very handy to set it up to lower the temperature two hours before you go to sleep. The house still stays warm and you save two hours of expenditure without even thinking about it.
3. Insulate
This is not a quick one but it can save you considerable costs over time. If your house does not have insulation start from the roof and then progress towards the floor. First insulate well the roof, then the walls and last you can insulate the floor if needed. You can’t do that? Then buy thick curtains for windows, door and attic entrance.
4. Radiators in bedrooms
Most of our time we spend it downstairs in the living room. Then there is no reason to heat up the bedrooms. Of course, it helps that our house is very well insulated. The temperature in the bedrooms does not drop easily. When it is cold we usually heat up the bedrooms for 2 hours before we sleep. That saves us a lot of costs.
5. Compare energy contracts
In my first job I many times heard colleagues to discuss about switching energy contracts. I thought about why I should bother with the hassle. Then, I kept the same energy provider for a couple more years. When I stumbled at independer.nl and I saw how much money I loose by not changing energy provider and how easy it is to do so I kept changing provider every single year.
6. Boiler temperature
The boiler temperature is usually set at around 80 degrees. Did you know that you can set it up at 60 degrees and save energy costs? That would work like a charm if you have floor heating (and good insulation). If you have radiators and not as good insulation you can still try it and see if it works. You can check the manual of the boiler and do it yourself or you can call a technician.
Note: Is your boiler a combi-boiler that also supplies hot water? Then you can also lower the temperature of hot water. Be careful to not lower the temperature below 60 degrees because of the risk of legionella.
Until next time, stay savvy.
