It’s been over a month since we entered the fall season. The heating is therefore back in service. Your energy consumption will rebound and thus, you are looking to save. This is why you turn off or lower your heater when you leave the house. That said, what is the best choice?
Would it be better to turn down your heating?
When you are away from home, do you usuallyturn off your heating ? Or do you just lower it? These two options allow you to save energy. That said, what is the best choice? To know this, you need to take several factors into consideration.
In this case, the outside temperature, the insulation of your home and the duration of your absence. However, it is generally better to turn down the heatingthan turn it off completely. Florence Clément, coordinator of the general public and young people division at Ademe, explained the reason for this in October 2022.
“Turning it off when you’re gone for the day doesn’t really make sense. No one wants to be cold when they come home for two hours, until the temperature rises, then as soon as the ideal temperature is reached, they have to lower it to go to bed,” she told Ouest -France.
What would be the ideal temperature?
Florence Clément also suggested that turning on a heating system that has been off for the day makes a “power call of energy” . In fact, your radiator will be working at full capacity at a time when the French are consuming electricity. That is to say, between 6 and 8 p.m.
Except that, according to Florence Clément, this could pose “a real problem on the network”. Power outagescould occur while France is currently suffering from a lack of electricity. She also spoke of a risk of overconsumption.
According to the coordinator, 16°C is the ideal temperature when you are away for a day. This allows to keep heat in your home . Then, when you come home in the evening, you can turn your heating up to between 19 and 20°C.
When should you turn off your heating?
As we said before, you need to take into consideration the temperature as well as the duration of your absence before turning off your heating. In fact, during certain days, temperatures can be mild and your home only cools down in the evening.
In this case, you can turn off your heating during the day when you go out and turn it back on when you come back. So, you will only have to recover 2 or 3°Cto have a comfortable temperature. Also note that the possibility of turning off your radiator depends on the insulation of your home.
If it is well insulated, it will be able to retain heat for a long time. Otherwise, heat will quickly escape through roofs or walls. The best option in this case remains to turn down the heating. Moreover, the Effy supplier can help you find out if your walls are well insulated or not?
What to do in the event of a prolonged absence?
During a prolonged absence, for example a weekend, put your heating in “frost protection” mode. Its temperature is therefore equivalent to 8°C. For information, you can recognize this function by the sign of a snowflake.
“This function allows you to hardly heat up when you are away. You should know that very low temperatures are bad for the piping,” says Florence Clément.