7 tips to beat high gas prices

The increasing gas prices are partially caused by the increasing CO2 tax, which also applies to natural gas. And when less natural gas is being supplied, the available gas is more valuable and therefore more expensive. We'll explain how to vent and heat properly.

• Tip 1: reduce the room temperature at night
• Tip 2: turn up the heat later in the year
• Tip 3: install a smart thermostat
• Tip 4: clear your radiators
• Tip 5: vent your heating system
• Tip 6: use electric radiators as additional heating only
• Tip 7: vent properly

You can easily save energy costs with night reduction. This is especially useful when your house isn't isolated very well. Lower the temperature with up to 3 to 4 degrees at night. But make sure it doesn't get colder than 16°C. If your house cools down too much, you'll need more energy to heat it up again than you'll save. During the day, 16 to 19°C is sufficient for the bedroom, kitchen, and hallway. For the rest of the living areas, you can set the thermostat to 20 to 22°C.

The summer is over and you're wondering when to turn up your heating. When it gets too cold in your house, mold or frost damage may occur. That's why you should never turn off the heating completely during the winter, even when you're not home for a longer time period. The heating period generally lasts from October to April. Are you living in an old building? Start heating from an outdoor temperature of 15 to 17°C. Because new buildings are better isolated, a minimum of 12 to 16°C applies.

Did you know that you can save 6% of energy with every degree you lower the heating? That's why it worth it to use a smart thermostat. This allows you to heat efficiently, because you can set the temperature separately for each room. Set up a heating profile for each room for during the day and night. The smart thermostat will automatically adjust the heating. As a result, you won't wake up in an overheated room in the morning. Connect the smart thermostat to your floor heating to prevent cold feet.

Make sure no furniture or curtains are in front of the radiator. They will block the heat from spreading evenly throughout the rest of the room. To save even more heating costs, you can put isolation behind the radiator. For example, apply heat-reflecting foil on the wall behind it. This will reduce heat loss through the wall.

Is your radiator making bubbling sounds? This means you really have to vent your heating. Due to the air in the system, it doesn't heat up properly anymore while the energy input remains the same. This is how you can do this:

1. Turn off the circulation pump. You'll often find this near the boiler.
2. Turn off your radiators.
3. Start with the lowest radiator in the house and place a bucket underneath the radiator valve.
4. Slowly open the valve with an air vent key from the hardware store.
5. The air will now escape. Once water starts to come out, close the valve.
6. Lastly, turn on the circulation pump again.

In some cases, it's recommended to use an electric heater. This works on electricity. How efficiently electric radiators convert energy to heat is called the return. This is 50%, which is significantly lower than the 80% of your gas heating system. That's why you should only use convectors, fan heaters, or radiators as additional heating or during the transition from hot to cold days.

With the right venting technique, you can prevent mold and bad odors without losing too much heat. You need to vent a couple of times per day in the rooms you spend a lot of time in. Besides, it's best to vent a couple of minutes instead of permanently with tilted windows.