Vocational School of Justice
SAVE ON HEATING BILL
The energy used for heating with the arrival of cold weather is increasing remarkably. Based on the data by Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Turkey has consumed 278.4 billion kilowatt-hours electricity in 2016. It increased up to 4.7% compared to the former year and reached 176.1 billion kilowatt-hours by the end of July. The experts are suggesting ways for providing thermal insulation to maintain the indoor heat.
Haluk Tatari, Lecturer, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, stated that energy savings started at a construction level, however, thermal insulation was possible to achieve with simple measures for existing buildings also. Tatari said, “Sealant and such mechanical seals around door and window frames get worn off in time. It would be wise to check these, and seal rough openings around doors and windows. Floors are an important source of heat loss in buildings. Especially, ceramic, granite, or marble floors cause significant loss of heat. Using carpets, rugs on the floor would minimize the heat loss. Leaving the door open or cracked open while taking a shower would allow warm air and mist to circulate around the house”.
‘Keep the warm air’
Tatari, who suggested that using decorative and sturdy under door draft stoppers in order to prevent warm air to escape, said that using thick curtains was also another effective insulation method. Tatari warned about not to place large furniture items in front or close to the radiators, and said that not airing the house to maintain indoor heat would be harmful to both individual health and to the building. He also pointed out that well designed lighting affected the household both psychologically and physiologically. “We need to make use of sunlight as much as possible. To ensure that, we need to open our curtains when the sun hits the house, and close the curtains when the sun goes down in order to preserve heat,” stated Tatari.