Immigrate to Spain by purchasing property and learn some tips for living in Spain: January in Spain marks the coldest season. How do you heat your home in Spain? What is the most cost-effective way to heat? Today, our editor is here to answer all your questions.
1、Caza a la rendija
Check all gaps to prevent indoor heat from escaping through flues, vents, doors, windows, etc. According to the technical report from IDEA (Instituto de Diversificación y
Ahorro Energético - Institute for Diversification and Saving of Energy), this measure can reduce heating costs by 30%.
2、Ventilar lo justo
According to IDEA's recommendations, if you live in an old neighborhood or an older house without modern heated floors or walls, open your doors and windows for ventilation half an hour before the central heating starts. In professional terms, this is called "renewing the air" (Renovar el aire). Fresh air is rich in oxygen; after half an hour, close the doors and windows. When the heating starts, the air heats up faster, making the heating more effective and the warmth more lasting, which indirectly saves more on heating costs.
3、La luz es calor
If your house has good orientation and receives plenty of sunlight daily (including sunset), do not close the blinds or pull the curtains during the day. Sunlight allows the indoor heat to be maintained longer. Conversely, at night, it is best to close the blinds tightly and draw the curtains; this will delay the dissipation of heat. The specific time to do this at night is 10 minutes before sunset ends.
4、No hay una secadora
Most regions in Spain are not as humid as the basins or hilly areas in southwestern China (such as Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hunan). Therefore, in winter, try to avoid using a tumble dryer—as it works, it constantly replaces the surrounding air, continuously lowering its oxygen content and greatly reducing heating efficiency; furthermore, these machines are particularly electricity-intensive.
5、La temperatura de confort
Heating is not necessarily better the hotter it is. According to the technical report disclosed by IDEA's ergonomics research project, the ideal temperature in winter is 19–21°C during working hours and 15–17°C while sleeping at night. Therefore, if you can adjust the heating temperature yourself, please refer to this data.
6、Una caldera a 70 grados
There are many old apartments (Pisos) that lack central heating or other modern heating facilities, relying only on a household water heater as a small boiler to generate heat and distribute it to radiators in each room. This old-style equipment makes heating costs very expensive (the editor once knew an international student who kept the heating on 24 hours a day, with monthly heating costs as high as 730 Euros). Therefore, if you know how to save, turn it off starting at 9:00 PM until you go to sleep. More importantly, maintain a reasonable heating temperature—set the machine to 70 degrees, which is optimal.
