How to save on heating: useful tips from ENEA

This advice comes directly fromENEA, the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development.

1. Install monitoring and control systems
   Using smart meters to monitor energy consumption is essential to gain an awareness of one’s consumption and detect leaks or malfunctions at an early stage.
2. Carry out system maintenance
   A system consumes and pollutes less when it is correctly regulated, clean and free of limescale deposits. Failure to maintain one’s system may result in a fine of EUR 500 (Presidential Decree 74/2013).
3. Check the temperature of single rooms
   19°C is sufficient to ensure personal comfort. Each degree less results in a 10% saving on fuel consumption.
4. Watch out for “on” times
   Check which of Italy’s 6 climate zones you live in: the number of maximum “on” hours varies, by law, according to the climate zone. Having the system on one hour less per day and reducing the temperature by one degree can lead to energy savings of about 15%.
5. Shut up windows at night
   Shutters and blinds, or even heavy curtains, reduce heat loss to the outside.
6. Do not cover radiators
   Avoid placing screens in front of radiators, such as curtains or furniture, which hinder the circulation of heat in the room. On the other hand, it is a good idea to insert reflective materials between the wall and the radiator: even a simple sheet of tin foil helps to reduce leakage to the outside.
7. Do not leave windows open too long
   It only takes a few minutes to change the air in a room, whereas leaving windows open for too long results in unnecessary heat loss.
8. Do a check-up of your home
   Get a qualified technician to assess the efficiency of the heating system and the condition of the thermal insulation of walls and windows. Efficiency in this sphere can reduce consumption by up to 40%.
9. Install thermostatic valves
   Thermostatic valves are mandatory by law in apartment buildings, and can reduce consumption by up to 20%.
10. Choose state-of-the-art solutions
    Replace your old system with a high-efficiency condensing or heat pump system, and install chronothermostats, presence sensors and electronic remote controllers.

Remember, the first step to making savings is to monitor consumption in order to pinpoint and avoid waste of all kinds. This winter it will be even more important to work on the energy-saving front to further reduce consumption compared to the previous season.

The SGR Efficienza Energetica Team