More expensive energy and heating bills have shocked many European countries this year. Although counting days when heating will be switched off in cities, specialists recommend people to not relax and instead start taking measures to prepare for the next heating season. It is unlikely heating will become cheaper. However, organizing buildings’ heating system can help reduce heating energy consumption by up to 35%. This will help save money but also reduce imports of energy.
This year’s heating season has already become a test for all heating consumers. The price of energy supplied by JSC Rīgas Siltums (RS) has reached 74.08 EUR/MWh (without VAT) since March. In September 2021 it was 57.31 EUR/MWh. At the start of last year’s heating season residents of Riga paid less than 40 EUR/MWh for heating.
Due to the geopolitical situation, currently it is unlikely Latvia could start next year’s season with lower prices. However, specialists believe residents who live in apartment buildings can take the initiative to help reduce heat loss. «We have participated in modernisation of buildings for years. We have lots of examples when reorganisation of apartment buildings’ heating system helped save up to 35% of heating energy. At existing heating prices, this is about very large amounts of money,» says LLC Danfoss sales manager Renāte Lakse.
Specialists agree that to save energy and improve quality of life, all apartment buildings have to be modernized. But this requires large investments. The state, which is actively involved in this process, can support a limited number of projects each year. This is why it may seem the process is slow, the company notes.
Any apartment building can reorganise their heating system in preparation for the real modernisation. Specialists say the price of this reaches about 10% of the total cost of modernisation, but this does help save up to 35% of heat.
«One of the biggest and oldest problems of apartment buildings is unbalanced influx of heat. While people in some apartments are freezing, others are too hot. To ensure hygiene requirements, managers of buildings are forced to increase heating supply to all buildings to ensure at least minimal required temperature is maintained in the cold apartments. In the biggest buildings, meanwhile, some tenants receive too much heat, which is then let out through windows,» says Lakse.
The first task for all apartment houses is evaluate the building’s heating hub. A modern heating hub needs to be automated based on outside temperature and control the supply of heating provided to apartments.
The second task is ensuring balanced flow of heating energy between floors using valves to make sure all tenants receive an equal amount of heat. In older houses it is possible for apartments located closer to the heating hub receive more heating energy than apartments farther away.
The third task is distributing heating between floors and apartments by installing thermal regulators to ensure each apartment receives the necessary volume of heat to keep people warm, instead of letting the system run as is.
«Then we have comfort-related system updates that also help save money. Once smart electronic thermostats are installed, they can be programmed and corrected to reduce heating volumes when residents are not at home or are asleep,» says Lakse.
There are still apartment buildings that do not have an updated hot water system with circulation. This is why every time residents have to wait for hot water to run from the tap.
According to the specialist, the cost of restoration of the heating system depends on each individual building and the existing heating system and its state, as well as the goal behind modernisation. Automation of the heating hub may cost up to EUR 2 000. The cost of related technical tasks depends on their complexity and number of apartments. Normally it is 4 EUR/m2, if the task is reorganising supply of hot water and up to 50 EUR/m2 if the task is maximum restoration of the heating system.
«The more complicated the task, the bigger the price, but also the bigger the benefit. We estimate investments generally pay off in two to three years. Although, under current heating prices, it may happen within a single heating season’s time,» stresses Lakse.
«If you want to start saving money this autumn, we recommend taking action now – finding a contractor and negotiating the contract take a lot of time. Ask the company that manages your building. If apartment owners have an association representing them, call in a specialist and evaluate your situation and options. Sometimes even small changes to the heating system provides unexpected results,» Lakse recommends.
The specialist stresses that a modernised heating system helps not only save money but also provides many benefits.