Wilma’s story (61) has been featured in many media outlets these days. It has allowed itself to be completely disconnected from the gas. Priceless, she thought. But understandable as it is: “It’s not really a good idea,” says Joyce Donat of the Consumers’ Association.
1. Turn off everything, no more gas
Let’s start with that example. Why why is this not a good idea? After all, it ensures that your gas bill stays good and low. For a week she showered with a bucket of water and cooked food in an air fryer and microwave.
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If necessary, he wants to warm his house with candles. And this is where things go wrong, says Milieu Centraal’s Marlon Mintjes. “This is very harmful to health, all kinds of harmful substances are released.”
The insurer Univé also writes on its website: “The soot particles are comparable to those of cigarette smoke and are carcinogenic. Scented candles are not or are unlikely to be healthier than normal candles”.
Interested in how to make your home more energy efficient? Then watch the video below:
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That’s not the only reason. Mold has a better chance in cold storage. “We are a damp country. If your house gets damp, you can get mold. And that leads to health problems in the long run.”
What you can do, says Donat of the Consumers’ Association, is to lower the temperature of your central heating boiler or combi boiler. But beware: there is a difference between a central heating boiler and a combination boiler. A central heating boiler only supplies water to the radiators, which you can set to 50 degrees. Not a combo boiler. “It also carries the water to your taps. So it is not wise to lower the 60 degrees, because then legionella can occur in the water pipes.”
2. Bring electric heaters to your home
Yes, electricity costs less than gas. But why the prices of electricity and gas they are still connectedThe price has also gone up enormously. In addition, electric heaters are often energy consumers, especially if they are over 10 years old. “Anything old isn’t efficient,” says Donat of the Consumers’ Association.
He says, “If you want to heat a small room with such a stove, then it would be possible. So it’s a calculation when you’re most profitable.”
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Mintjes also says it can help as a so-called “additional warm-up”. This means that you don’t put an electric heater in every room to heat your home, but to provide heat to small parts. Solar panels, of course, partially reduce the price of electricity. “But there are still ways that are more efficient than electric heaters, for the same money, or even less. Then you have to think, for example. an infrared panel or seat heater. “
3. Wood stoves
Pellet stove or wood stove? Demand is increasing, but think very carefully before buying it. Why, This is what the Homeowners Association says: “They remain harmful to the environment. It is certain that burning private wood with old wood stoves, in particular, leads to the presence of harmful substances in the air and can cause annoyance to residents.”
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The biggest energy eaters in your home
Think carefully about which appliances you will use in the near future. With some you may think they are durable, but it can be disappointing. “At least check the energy label carefully,” say the experts. Here is a list of the largest energy consumers in the home:
- Tropical aquarium
- Electric water heater (not to be confused with a boiling water tank like Quooker)
- Electric stove
- water bed
- Underfloor heating pump
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Milieu Centraal is also included in this. “You emit particulate matter, which is bad for your health, especially for people with respiratory problems.”
But it won’t help you financially either. In fact: “Using a wood stove as your main heating will cost you twice as much as gas heating”. Superfluous: main heating means that your whole house is heated in this way. But can you do this as an additional warm-up? Mintjes: “Even then there are better alternatives”.
4. Candles as lighting? No
Already mentioned in the first point: but it is not really wise to buy candles to light up the living room in the evening. Sure, it’s fine for the atmosphere at dinner, but not for seeing anything in the dark.
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This mainly concerns the particulate matter which is released during combustion. Not a big deal with some candles, but if you fill your living room with them, it is.
5. Finally: the barbecue is for outdoor use
We end up with an open door, but still. Sometimes it happens that people bring their own barbecue inside. Both for grilling when it is cold and for heating up the space. Do not do it. It is life-threatening and people have sometimes been killed. In 2019, in Doesburg.
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