The heater is the most important thing during winter to stay warm. On the other hand, it’s also very important to know how we have to heat the house to save our money. The wrong way of heating the house may lead to high energy costs and also lead to damages to the house.
Check the heater function
Every heater is different and the time it takes to heat to the room is based on different facts. So it’s important to know about your heater like how long does it takes to heat a room. If you feel that it’s not working properly, kindly look at the below post and try to do this.
Heizung entlüften – Vent the heater
Read the below post and follow the simple steps to ensure the correct function of the heater.
Contact house owner
If your heater is still not working properly, it’s better to contact your house owner or Hausmeister.
Optimal temperature for the rooms
| Rooms | Temperature in degree Celcius | Temperature in Farenheit |
|---|---|---|
| Bedroom | 18 °C | 65 F |
| Kids room | 23 °C | 74 F |
| Living room | 20 – 22 °C | 68 F – 72 F |
| Kitchen | 18 – 19 °C | 64 F – 66 F |
| Bathroom | 23 °C | 74 F |
| Corridor | 18 °C | 65 F |
How to heat the rooms?
It is better not to turn off the heater often during the daytime. Turning off the heater will let the room and the wall be cold. It will take a while to warm the room and make you feel comfortable. It will also consume more energy which is too costly. So, it is better to heat the room at an average temperature.
You can follow the below steps to save energy costs.
- Close the roller shutters/blinds
- Do not cover the heater
- Set the correct heating level
- Sealing the windows and doors properly
Close the roller shutters/blinds
It is common to see many windows in the home. Closing the roller shutters/blinds can reduce the heat loss up to approximately 20 percent. The hard curtains could also reduce heat loss.
Do not cover the heater
Do not cover the heater by keeping some items in front of it. Common mistakes are,
- placing the soft in front of the heater
- placing cupboard
- hanging the curtains which covers the heater
Set the correct heating level
It is important to set the correct heating level in the thermostat. Check the temperature requirement which is mentioned above.
Sealing the windows and doors properly
Sealing the windows and doors will helos the warm to stay inside, there will not be mus loss. It is available in most of the new houses. Proper sealing might not be available in all the old houses. The seals are available in foam material or elastic bands. You can ask the owner to fix it. Otherwise, you can do it by yourself by buying it in the hardware store.
How to ventilate the rooms?
Open the windows for approximately 5 minutes and close them again. It is better to open the windows in few rooms at the same time to let the airflow.
If it is too windy, make sure that you take care of everything before opening the windows. If you are living on the first floor or more, it is better to avoid keeping any items near the window while ventilating. If it is very windy, you can open the windows one by one after closing another. This will also give some good results.
If you have small children in some room, it is better to let them in another room while ventilating their room. Do not keep the windows closed just because you have a child. There are many people who made this mistake and had mold in their house.
If you live in a one-room apartment, then it could be difficult because of the lack of another room. But try to find some way to ventilate the house. It might be also possible to ventilate while taking bath or cooking.
Possible mistakes
- Tilting the windows in V-Shape
- Opening the windows and forgot to close it
- Storing groceries at a high temprature
Tilting the windows in V-Shape
It is very common in Germany that we tilt the windows in V-shape to open and get the fresh air inside. It will not actually work well as we think. Tilting the windows in V-shape will cool the walls rather than circulate the fresh air inside the home.
Tilting the windows in V-shape will work well to circulate the air only if the airflow is very good at your place. I was living in an apartment on the 10th floor. It worked well there during the windy season.
Opening the windows and forgot to close it
Sometimes we may forget to close the windows or doors while ventilating. If you forget for a long time, then the house will be too cold again. It means, more energy will be needed to heat the house again.
Do not open the windows just before the shopping. There are more possibilities to forget about it.
Storing groceries at a high temperature
It is important to store the groceries at the optimal temperature. Especially, it is important for the products like milk, mineral water. Check the storage temperature of the products.
If you have a cellar that could be an option to store the mils, water, juices, etc.
How to measure the temperature at home?
You can use the thermometer to check the temperature of your room. It is better to buy a hygrometer which contains the thermometer too. You can find the humidity inside your house or rooms. It is good to have a hygrometer in all the important tooms like bedroom, kids room, living room, bathroom.
There are also thermometers and hygrometers with the values shown on the display. It shows clearly the optimal temperature or humidity which is necessary to maintain. It is not necessary for you to calculate or remind every time.
Children room
It is also possible to buy thermometers and hygrometers with the smartphone app function. It will be very helpful for those who have children in their homes. It is possible to monitor remotely and also possible to set the alarm for the humidity variation.
Why it is important to keep the house warm?
It is important to keep the house warm to protect our bodies. Likewise, it is also important to maintain the building and prevent it from any kind of issues like mold. Mould is one of the common issues in Germany. Read the below post which could be helpful for you.
From when you should turn on the heaters?
You can start using the heaters in your house earliest in October. You may need a heater till the end of April or mid of may. It may also vary and it is purely based on the place where you are living.
Official information
Read the information regarding the proper ventilation and heating from the “Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit (BMU)” website.
Join our Facebook groups
Share this post
Stay informed (We hate spam)
Subscribe to my blog to receive the posts directly delivered to your inbox as soon as it has been published. Do not worry; your inbox won’t be spammed with unwanted emails or newsletters.
Salary for an internship in Germany
Career guidance in the universities
DOs and DON’Ts – Cover Letter
German language exceptions for family reunion visa
Job resignation in Germany – Important details with a sample resignation letter
