Each year, with autumn heralding the cold and winter, comes the time to turn on the heating of the house. Methods Studio Architects offers you an overview of the possibilities available for heating your home. Heat pump, electric, gas, wood or pellet stove, you can make the right choice for your situation and identify the best device for your use.
When to heat your home?
In general the houses are heated between October 15 and April 15, this period is variable according to the feelings of each one and the bad weather in the inhabited region. It is recommended to heat your house between 20 ° and 17 ° depending on the room, of course this is only a recommendation that everyone can respect or not according to their comfort, without legal obligation.
Energy consumption of your home varies according to the type of Energy you use and above all depends on the good insulation of the latter.
If your house is well insulated, it will not be necessary to heat in a similar way throughout the winter.
Your comfort to feel good at home! This is the most suitable answer to "when to heat your house or apartment", heat each room evenly, and if you go for a long time (on winter holidays) lower your heating to protect it from freezing. to say for prevent the temperature from dropping below zero.
How to heat your home today, what are the existing economic and ecological means?
Several means of heating exist today, below is a quick overview of the main energies available in 2021.
- Electric heating : to date it is the most expensive energy, when this type of energy is used it is important, if your finances allow it, to use rather recent radiators. The older an electric heater, the more energy it consumes. Favor them electric heaters inertia for more comfort and to benefit from gentle heat by radiation. In addition to the distribution of a more homogeneous heat, you will savings on your energy bills.
- Heat pumps with two separate circuits that recover external energy (calories) to transform it into heat for your home. There are several types of fluids for heat pumps : air-air, air-water or water-water. Get professional advice to identify the most suitable heat pump for your home and carry out the appropriate work.
- Wood or pellet stoves for a comfortable and warm home. To have the pleasure of the fire, in additional heating or to completely heat your house. It is a heating method prized for its aesthetics. Do not forget to plan if the manufacturer allows it to recover the calories from the duct.
- Wood-burning fireplaces, Insert or other log boilers are more economical with the supply of logs or wood chips but release a lot of CO2.
- The traditional gas condensing boiler, which runs on town gas and can also provide you with hot water. Warning the RE2020 advocates the ban on the installation of gas-only boilers in single-family homes as of January 01, 2022 and in collective new programs in 2024. The installation of a condensing boiler is still possible during renovation. What's more, vsAs for electric heating, gas is an expensive energy, the prices of which keep rising with winter.
To find out more about this type of heating, discover an explanatory video of Jamy.
Other less common means of heating exist:
- Central heating with pellets or wood, fed by an endless screw bringing the pellets or wood from a reserve. The main disadvantage of this heating is the volume taken by the reserve. Indeed, the autonomy of your boiler will depend on the volume of the reserve, which can go up to an entire room for a large house.
- The fuel cell, which produces heat and electricity from a chemical energy source. This energy is in its infancy for individual use, which will move towards wider use. The advantage is that in addition to heating the house and producing hot water, the fuel cell produces electricity and thus reduces dependence on the city's electricity grid.
- Oil heating, which has been prohibited for installation for new housing since July 2021, and for all housing from January 2022.
How to heat inexpensively?
Let's take stock of the small steps to take to save money and have a comfortably heated interior.
- First, check the heat loss in your home and neutralize it. This can involve installing double-glazed windows, installing insulation on the walls and the roof, checking that the air is not rushing under the exterior doors or windows, insulating the door leading to the garage, etc.
- Opt for newer radiators, favoring those that keep the heat longer. Electric radiators with radiant panels save on usage compared to conventional electric heaters.
- Maintain a constant temperature in your home, house or apartment, to avoid energy-intensive heating spikes. You can, however, program if your equipment allows a temperature one to two degrees lower at night or in less used rooms.
- During cold spells, close doors and shutters to help keep the heat in the room, just as you would in summer to keep it cool.
- Air your rooms for about 10 minutes a day to renew the air and evacuate the ambient humidity. Dry air produces a higher perceived warmth than humid air. You will be able to heat up to one or two degrees cooler, with the same feeling.
How to heat a big house?
When you live in a large house, the question of installing the heating system is paramount. Indeed, the energy costs are high, but the differences can be significant depending on the system chosen.
Prefer a centralized system like a air-water heat pump, recovering calories from the outside air to distribute them via water heaters. Be careful to choose your system according to the region where you live. Indeed, some heat pumps operate down to -25 degrees, but most no longer operate below -5 degrees, which is however sufficient for the Paris region.
You can also opt for a wood or pellet stove, allowing to heat a large part of the house, and complete with electric radiators with radiant panels for the rooms not served by the stove.
Which energy to choose to heat your house in Paris?
The choice of energy depends on your location. Are you connected to city gas ? Do you have an electrical installation with sufficient volume to install a heat pump ? Do you have the space to install a reserve of pellets or wood? Are there any particularities related to your city? What is your budget ? How is your house insulated?
We remind you that for optimal comfort, and whatever the heating method chosen, it is important that the house is very well insulated for a feeling of comfort.
Let us place ourselves in the case of a very well insulated house. In this case, a electric heater or gas boiler will probably be the cheapest heating methods, because even if the energy bills annuals will be higher than with a heat pump, the basic investment will be lower and more profitable in the medium term.
If you want to install a heating system more eco-friendly and less energy consuming, the air-water heat pump will be recommended. The base investment is higher, but the power consumption will be lower.
In regions with a high level of sunshine, the installation of solar panels coupled with electric radiators with radiation is a solution combining low costs and respect for the environment.
For optimal comfort, the most comfortable installation is the installation of a heating floor cold water on the heat pump, coupled to a radiator heating system
The choice of your heating system will therefore depend on your region, the surface to be heated, your desires in terms of energy sobriety and of course your budget. Finally, be aware that if you are building new, the RE2020 regulation will apply from January 1, 2022. This environmental regulation aims to reduce energy consumption, by imposing good insulation of the roof and walls, as well as an energy efficient heating system, favoring heat pumps and heating with wood or pellets. Aids are set up for any home, visualized the cost of any work to be done and improve your interior.
Your Methods Studio architect will be able to advise you to choose with you the best heating system for your home in Ile de France!
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