Heating accounts for more than 50% of the average household’s energy expenditures, so it’s critical to discover ways to save.
Even if you’ve reduced your carbon footprint and energy consumption in every manner possible, you could still be wasting energy. You could be wasting money if you don’t take the effort to turn off a radiator in a room you don’t use very often.
Here are three questions to ask yourself before turning off an unnecessary radiator.
1. How effective is your insulation?
You don’t have to worry about leaving your radiator on in rooms you don’t use if you have good insulation. You shouldn’t be losing too much heat with strong insulation throughout the rest of the house and no heat in the one room you don’t use.
While some balancing will be required on the other side, if the only location for air to leave is beneath the door, you have a lot of possibilities. Simply installing a draft excluder could eliminate the need to be concerned about heat.
Older homes don’t necessarily have as much insulation as newer homes, so if you’re not sure, keep the heat on to a low setting. Otherwise, all of your heat will try to hurry over to the colder room to equalize things out.
2. Is Mildew a Problem?
One of the properties of radiator heat is that it produces a lot of dry heat. If you’re not used to it, you might find yourself using more moisturizer and lotion than usual throughout the winter. While cold can be damaging to your skin, so can dry heat.
However, if mildew is an issue in your home or you want to avoid it, adding some dry heat may be beneficial. If you reside in a wetter or rainier area, cold air can foster the growth of mildew and mold after rain.
Maintain the output of your radiator to keep it out of your space.
3. How long do you stay out?
If you only stay out for a day or two at a time, this may seem like a good idea, but it may be more bother than it’s worth.
It may not be worth keeping rooms warm if they are not used for a whole season. Cover the windows with plastic and tape to keep drafts out, but you don’t need to be concerned about the rooms. With a draft stopper in the entryway, you won’t have to worry about heating areas behind closed doors.
Turning off a radiator can be a wise decision.
A variety of factors influence whether or not you should switch off a radiator in your home. Knowing why you might need a radiator will help you make an informed decision that could save you money.
Check out our guide for more information on balancing the output of your radiator.