When it comes to energy saving technologies, most often it refers to private houses. Typically, the use of such technologies is taken into account at the design stage of a dwelling. It is also possible to increase energy efficiency in an already built house. In this case, the owner of a private house will need a minimum of various approvals and permits. In apartment buildings, the situation is much more complicated. But this does not mean that energy-saving technologies cannot be used in apartments. It's just that the choice of options for reducing energy losses will be more modest than for private houses. In addition, energy saving in an apartment often means an increase in the level of comfort in the room with utility bills remaining at the same level. How to achieve this?
Where is energy lost in the apartment?
If we consider all energy-saving technologies in an apartment, then they can be divided into two large groups:
- This is not technology, but advice. The energy-saving effect is achieved through discipline, perhaps even some pedantry. As examples, we can name the truths known to everyone since childhood: do not leave the light on when you leave the room; carefully close the water faucet and so on.
- The second group is characterized by some financial costs and changes in the life support system of the apartment in the direction of improving its energy-saving characteristics. Subsequently, the costs should be justified by a decrease in utility bills or an improvement in living conditions with the same amount of payment for an apartment.
Energy-saving technologies are mainly applied in three directions. This is the improvement of apartment heating systems, electricity supply and water consumption. For any of these systems, you can find ways to save energy in both the first and second groups.
Warm apartment: how to save on heating?
Old Soviet-built apartment buildings in most cases have terrifying energy-saving performance. Previously, warm air from apartments in large quantities freely escaped into the environment. In Soviet times, this was offset by extremely low heating bills. In our time, when utility prices are rising and approaching global prices, “heating the street” becomes extremely unprofitable. And apartment owners are beginning to look for ways to reduce heating costs.
The central heating technology used in most apartment buildings also causes a lot of criticism:
- Heat is not always delivered to apartments in the fall in time. The beginning of the heating season gets into news releases like reports from the front.
- The heat generated by heating radiators is often not enough to maintain a comfortable temperature in severe frosts.
- Not always warm water is evenly distributed throughout the heating system, residents of apartments on the upper floors often suffer from this, where the coolant enters already cooled down.
- Accidents on heating mains and breakdowns in boiler houses are also a common occurrence in conditions of severely worn out utility networks.
If it is impossible to refuse central heating in the apartment, the only way to ensure normal conditions in the home during the cold season is to insulate the walls.
How to make a warm apartment with a central heating system?
In any apartment, regardless of the heating system used, three types of heat loss can be distinguished:
- Drafts that quickly cool the room. Their impact is especially noticeable on windy days.
- Natural heat exchange between the apartment and the environment.
- Infrared radiation from warm surfaces.This type of heat loss is rarely remembered, but infrared radiation constantly contributes to the energy-saving characteristics of the room.
With central heating, the consumer cannot independently increase the temperature of the coolant in the system if the apartment has become cold. But it is quite within the power of everyone to significantly reduce heat loss. What should you pay attention to?
- Window. Old wooden window frames provide the lion's share of heat loss. They should be replaced with modern designs with energy-saving double-glazed windows. At the same time, it is not enough just to choose a model that suits the climatic conditions and the individual characteristics of your apartment. It is equally important that plastic windows are installed correctly, otherwise a significant part of the effect of their installation will be lost.
- Entrance doors. In Soviet times, doors leading to the entrance were insulated with all available materials: rubber seals were used, foam rubber was stuffed, sometimes a second door was inserted to minimize heat loss. Modern models of entrance doors combine excellent energy-saving properties with reliable protection against intrusion.
- Ceiling. It must be insulated for residents of apartments on the last floors. Indeed, most often behind the floor slab there is a street or an unheated attic, access to which is limited. Warm ceiling can be done using mineral wool, penoplex, penofol, polystyrene or warm plaster. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages, which must be evaluated when choosing the option of warming your apartment.
- Floor. Underfloor heating will not be superfluous in any apartment, but this technology is especially relevant for apartments located on the ground floor. There are many ways to insulate: from simple laying of linoleum with lining to the device of the system "warm floor". It all depends on the energy-saving features of the premises and the financial capabilities of the residents. But everyone can insulate the floors with available materials with their own hands.
- Walls. First of all, the walls that communicate with the street need to be insulated. Experts recommend the technology of insulating the walls of the apartment from the outside. But this is not always possible - in most cases, this type of energy saving measures is available only if the whole house is being reconstructed. And this happens quite rarely, for example, during a major overhaul. So you have to insulate with your own hands and from the inside. To solve this problem will help a lot of different heat-insulating materials and options for their application.
For thermal insulation work inside the apartment, it is recommended to use materials that have a foil film. It will reflect infrared radiation, for example from radiators, and direct heat back into the apartment.
Struggling with heat loss, you should not turn the apartment into a kind of thermos: a complete cessation of air circulation between the apartment and the environment will not lead to anything good.
Energy saving apartment with individual heating
The owners of individual heating boilers and gas water heaters have many advantages. They can not wait for the beginning of the heating season and independently regulate the amount of heat entering the apartment. They can also seriously save on heating by following a number of simple recommendations:
- Gas equipment for an apartment requires regular cleaning and timely replacement. Any device loses its effectiveness over time, besides, new columns and boilers are much more economical than outdated models. The funds invested in their acquisition will pay off in the course of operation.
- Circulation pumps for heating systems contribute to better heating of the entire apartment. The water in the batteries will not stagnate, which will give uniform heating of all rooms.
- timely cleaning and radiator replacement heating to more advanced ones will make it possible to seriously save heat.
- Thermostatic valves on radiators in the apartment will help you choose the most efficient thermal regime for each room, which will contribute to the overall energy-saving performance of the apartment.
Often energy-saving techniques are powerless against peculiar habits developed over the years at low utility prices. A simple example: if the apartment is hot, then our inhabitants simply open the window. The European will reduce the supply of heat to the room. So in order to reduce heating costs, you will have to change your mentality a little.
How to abandon central heating and install AGV?
This idea is often asked by apartment owners who are tired of the cold in winter, before and immediately after the end of the heating season. Is it possible to put yourself an individual boiler and not depend on the whims of the public utilities?
It is possible, but every year it becomes more and more difficult to do this. It's not even about financial costs. The technical side of the AGV installation (gas water heating apparatus) will also not cause any particular difficulties. But you will have to collect a huge amount of certificates, permits and approvals. So if you are determined to do individual heating in the apartment, then it is better to contact specialized firms. It will cost more, but there will be no need to stand in countless lines and waste time and effort fighting the bureaucratic machine.
Can electricity costs be reduced?
Energy-saving technologies will significantly reduce the cost of utility bills. A few simple tips:
- Reduce the number of household appliances in the apartment in standby mode. This can be attributed to almost any modern household appliances, where there is, for example, a built-in clock. If you do not use this appliance often, it is better to unplug it from the socket. Chargers for phones, tablets or laptops that are not used, but connected to the network, also consume electricity. Let it be quite a bit, but in a year, taking into account their total number, a round sum can run up.
- Turn off unnecessary light. You can install lighting devices with motion sensors or timers.
- Install a two-tariff meter in the apartment. Then at night, when electricity is cheaper, energy-intensive household appliances, such as a bread machine, can be loaded with work.
- Purchase household appliances of the highest energy-saving class A +.
- The washing machine and dishwasher should only be used when fully loaded - this way you can save not only on electricity, but also on water.
- Replace incandescent lamps in the apartment with energy-saving ones, and even better - with LED ones. With comparable characteristics of the output light, they consume several times less electricity.
But there are several unpleasant moments regarding the last point:
- Energy-saving and LED lamps are an order of magnitude higher than conventional ones. So refurbishing the entire apartment will cost a significant amount.
- Not everyone is satisfied with the quality of light produced by energy-saving lamps. As a rule, this problem is solved by a more careful selection of lighting fixtures for the apartment.
- The problem with the disposal of energy-saving lamps has not been resolved. You can’t just throw them away, and it’s very difficult to find collection points for used lamps.
Reducing water costs
On the proper use of water in the apartment, you can also save a lot:
- Regularly inspect plumbing - the earlier a leak is detected and eliminated, the less money will “leak into the pipe”.
- Replace taking a bath with a regular shower. From a hygienic point of view, there is no particular difference, but the amount of water consumed will be significantly reduced.
- Using a dishwasher in the kitchen is preferable to washing dishes under running water.
- Lever taps are more economical than taps with valves for hot and cold water. They allow you to quickly get water at the required temperature.
Thus, energy-saving technologies, even in an ordinary apartment, can significantly save on utilities.
