In Rome, more than half of energy consumption and emissions come from buildings. This commits us to find solutions for reducing emissions by intervening in our homes. Interventions that not only improve the energy behavior of the house but also allow us to save costs for winter heating and summer air conditioning.
Useful interventions to reduce heat loss in the house
To this category belong all interventions that reduce the so-called “transmittance” of walls, windows, floors and roofs. Transmittance is a quantity that tells us how easily our wall lets heat or cold through. If a wall has low transmittance, it means that it will not allow the heat produced, for example, to heat the house to escape to the outside.
Reducing leakage will save gas or electricity needed to produce winter heat or summer coolness.
What to do to reduce heat loss in the home
In order to reduce leakage, insulating materials can be applied (both internally and externally and in wall cavities) to vertical walls (exterior walls), to the roof (if from outward), or to the floor (if it rests toward the ground or open rooms) that is, to all what are called opaque structures, thus creating the famous “thermal coat” (or overcoat insulation).
For transparent structures, i.e., windows, French doors, and skylights, action can be taken by replacing them with double- or triple-glazed windows and highly insulating frames or by equipping existing windows with blackout blinds.
Useful interventions to reduce the consumption of gas or electricity needed for heating or summer air conditioning
To this category belong all interventions that have to do with interior systems and appliances.
Gas boilers or summer air conditioners turn natural gas into heat and electricity into cold. Heat pumps turn electricity into both heat and cold.
The heat produced is then distributed to the rooms in our home through so-called emission and distribution systems. The best known systems are classic radiators combined with gas boilers and so-called “splits” combined with air conditioners or heat pumps.
What to do to reduce gas or electricity consumption
Replacement of boilers, air conditioners and old heat pumps
The efficiency of a heat production and distribution system tells us how much natural gas or electricity it takes to produce the heat or cold we need through our boiler or air conditioner. Technological development has made these appliances more and more efficient by managing to consume less and less energy to get the heat or cold.
So the first thing to do is to check the efficiency of our boiler, air conditioner or heat pump. If there are more efficient appliances on the market, it is worth considering replacing our boiler, air conditioner or heat pump. This intervention will save us gas and electricity without having to change our comfort.
It should then be checked whether the existing emission systems (radiators, splits, etc.) are able to regulate the heat or cold delivered differentially for each room or room in our home, office or store.
Home do then?
- Replace winter heating systems with heat pump systems
- Replace traditional gas boiler with condensing gas boiler
- Install zone thermostats
- Install thermostatic valves
Diversified temperature control for each room or room
The efficiency of a heat production and distribution system tells us how much natural gas or electricity it takes to produce the heat or cold we need through our boiler or air conditioner. Technological development has made these appliances more and more efficient by managing to consume less and less energy to get the heat or cold.
So the first thing to do is to check the efficiency of our boiler, air conditioner or heat pump
If there are more efficient appliances on the market, it is worth considering replacing our boiler, air conditioner or heat pump. This intervention will save us gas and electricity without having to change our comfort.
Home do then?
- Install zone thermostats
- Install thermostatic valves
Installation of systems for generating thermal energy from renewable sources
If our house is already well thermally insulated, it may be useful to think about a heat production system for heating and domestic hot water (bathroom and kitchen) that does not use natural gas or even grid electricity, but is produced from renewable sources such as the sun or biomass (wood, pellets or the like).
We can install:
- Solar thermal systems
- Biomass boilers
