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A common practice: turning off the heating at night
In many households, it’s a common practice to turn off the heating at night to save energy. Whether for economic or ecological reasons, reducing energy consumption is a major concern. But is saving energy by turning off the heating at night real, or just an illusion?
Are the energy savings real?
According to various studies, reducing heating at night does not produce real energy savings. The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) even indicates that this habit could, on the contrary, lead to over-consumption of energy.
In fact, reducing the temperature at night means consuming a lot of energy in the morning to warm up the home. The ideal temperature recommended by ADEME is 19°C for living rooms and 16°C for bedrooms. To save energy, it’s better to lower the temperature by a few degrees at night, rather than turning it off altogether.
The influence of home insulation
A key factor when it comes to heating is home insulation. A poorly insulated house obviously leads to higher energy consumption. The heating system struggles to maintain a constant temperature due to heat loss.
So turning off the heating at night in a poorly insulated house is likely to result in higher energy consumption. On the other hand, in a well-insulated house, turning off the heating at night can result in real energy savings.
Call in the professionals to improve your home’s insulation is a smart way to make substantial savings.
In search of an effective solution
If turning off the heating at night isn’t the ideal solution, then what are the energy-saving alternatives? The most recommended would be to make use of a programmable thermostat.
This system adapts the temperature of the house according to the time of day and the occupancy of the rooms. With this solution, there’s no need for excessive temperature variations. Thermal comfort is preserved, while saving energy.
In conclusion
So, in the end, turning off the heating at night turns out to be more an illusion of economy than a real solution. There are many more effective alternatives, such as programmable thermostats. However, the key to sustainable energy savings remains insulation.
