Heating system optimisation: Simple tips for economy

Heating costs are taking up an increasingly large part of monthly expenses. Yet they can often be reduced with simple measures. For example, with heating optimisation, in which heating contractors make existing systems more efficient. The following guide explains how this works and how you may even receive subsidies for heating system optimisation.

Replacing outdated thermostats and setting them correctly

If you lower room temperatures by one degree Celsius, you save up to six percent on heating costs. This applies in particular to existing buildings when the doors between differently heated rooms remain closed. Time controls such as night setback  are also helpful. This involves the reduction of room temperatures to save energy when everyone is asleep. Just in time before waking up, the heating system heats all rooms back to the required temperature and thus ensures a high level of comfort. Viessmann ViCare heating thermostats also provide this and can even be operated from the couch or on the move using a smartphone and are very straightforward to program.

Insulating pipes and fittings for heating system optimisation

If bare pipes run through unheated rooms, they act like radiators there. They give off heat unnecessarily and thus cause higher energy consumption. This can be avoided by insulating heating pipes and fittings. The heating system optimisation measure can be implemented quickly and inexpensively by you or your heating contractor.

Hydronic balancing for efficient heat distribution

Do some rooms in your house not reach the required temperatures, while others literally overheat, or is there a lot of noise in the radiators? These are all signs of a lack of hydronic balancing. The heating water does not flow through the system optimally and the heating system consumes more energy than necessary. When heating contractors carry out hydronic balancing, they adjust the system correctly. They ensure that each heating surface receives the required amount of heating water, thus reducing consumption. By the way, this is not only useful when the previously described symptoms occur. When you insulate your house or replace the heat generator, heating system optimisation is also worthwhile.

Replacing the heating circuit pump and reducing electricity consumption

Old heating circuit pumps run at high power for many hours a year. They consume more than necessary and can easily be replaced by high efficiency pumps. These work according to need. Their motors are particularly efficient and consume on average 90 percent less electricity. For heating system optimisation, which is particularly worthwhile in the course of hydronic balancing, your heating contractor usually only needs one to two hours.

Setting the heating curve correctly and optimising the heating system

With every degree Celsius by which the outside temperature drops, a building loses more heat via its envelope and ventilation. Heating systems compensate for this loss by raising the temperature of the heating water. The heating curve determines the water temperature required to bring sufficient heat into a house at different outdoor temperatures. Setting the heating curve correctly saves a lot of energy, whereas an incorrect setting leads to cold rooms or excessive consumption.

Subsidies for heating system optimisation

Regardless of whether you optimise the radiator thermostats, insulate pipes or have hydronic balancing carried out: For many types of work, you may be able to receive government subsidies for heating system optimisation (from BAFA, KfW or Inland Revenue in Germany). These may be in the form of one-off grants, loans with repayment subsidies and tax relief. In Germany, you will receive five percent more in grants and repayment subsidies if an individual renovation schedule proposes the measure.

Important: Apply for BAFA grants and KfW loans before starting the measures. You can use the tax bonus for the modernisation retrospectively via your income tax return.