How to Stay Warm at Home Without Breaking the Bank

How to Stay Warm at Home Without Breaking the Bank

There is a scene that repeats every winter with the electricity bill soaring: someone shivering in a huge living room with all radiators open but barely warm, convinced that the problem is the cold outside. The diagnosis proposed by the author of this guide is different. Relative humidity, not temperature, is what turns a house into a fridge and makes heating seem useless.

The first measure proposed by this guide costs nothing to heat: dry. A hardware store hygrometer, costing around 12 euros, allows you to know if the home exceeds 60% relative humidity. Above this threshold, an electric dehumidifier works better than raising the thermostat by two degrees. The feeling of cold drops as humidity decreases, and it is the humidity that punishes the lungs, not dry cold. With 80% humidity at home, heating is throwing money away: the air will remain unhealthy.

Insulate doors and windows before touching the thermostat

The second front is the gaps. Silicone weatherstripping on poorly fitting frames and skirts on the bottom of doors. The home test: turn on the heating on a very cold day and run your hand along the perimeter of each window from the warm side. Drafts are immediately noticeable. If you have to choose, interior shutters before exterior ones, as they close without opening the window.

Behind each radiator, a reflective panel prevents heat from being lost to the wall. They are inexpensive, last for years, and their effect is notable when the radiator is on an exterior wall; on interior walls, the benefit is diluted. And an obvious fact that is ignored every night: closing blinds and shutters. No matter how well insulated the glass is, the blind always adds a layer.

Why turning off heating when leaving saves money?

Because the myth that keeping the house warm costs less than heating it from cold is false, according to the author of this guide. The home regains temperature in minutes. Programmers that turn on the heating while the house is empty are, in the words of the author, the work of Satan. The thermostat is turned off when leaving and on when returning.

The big savings, however, lie in closing radiators. Heating the entire house is a luxury from the pre-cheap oil era. In villages, only the kitchen was heated; the rest of the rooms were passed through, wearing a fleece jacket. Closing half the radiators translates, according to his experience, into a bill 40% lower. The spectacle of a large house with all radiators open and the owner shivering is, besides sad, absurd.

Heat people, not cubic meters

Air is a poor vehicle for heat. Portable electric heaters, such as Casymen Rower, work in reverse: they charge in three minutes at 600 or 900 W and release heat for two or three hours. Inside an inner pocket of a fleece jacket, they allow you to work in a room without heating. The technical doubt that arises immediately is whether they respect the first law of thermodynamics; the answer is yes, and whoever invented the device deserves, always according to this guide, the heaven of all religions.

The fine print comes from another calculation: a model of these characteristics consumes about 56.66 Wh in charging and delivers the equivalent of 18.88 W for three hours, like a 20-watt lightbulb. Translated to butane, the stored energy is 4.5 grams. The heat it provides is modest, but it goes directly to the body.

To this are added a hat, mitten gloves, a neck warmer, winter thermal clothing, and sheep wool socks. Feet are the key: at 15 degrees on the floor, the rest of the body can be at 25, and the feeling will still be of cold. Electric blankets, on the other hand, are discouraged due to fire risk.

Butane is not the cheap solution it seems

The butane stove defends itself as an emergency resource, but the numbers place it among the most expensive options. The calculation with the cylinder at 17.5 euros and 12.5 kilos yields a cost of 0.11 euros per kWh, just below electricity. Natural gas stays at 0.059 euros per kWh and pellet at 0.034. Each kilogram of butane burned also generates 1.55 kilos of water, which must be ventilated or dehumidified.

The alternative gaining adherents is a bed with a skirt and an electric brazier of 400 or 500 W, turned on intermittently. It keeps the living area warm with low consumption. And for those who can afford it, structural insulation is key: a well-designed home, with habitable spaces away from exterior walls, can maintain 22 degrees in Madrid with -4 degrees outside without turning on the heating, according to a participant.