With the onset of autumn cold weather, residents of apartment buildings think about alternative sources of heating until a central one is connected. And in some houses, the cold persists with the heating turned on. To solve the problem of heating homes in the offseason, many use portable heaters. But there are other, cheaper options to make the apartment warm.
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Alternative heating options
To heat the apartment in winter without central heating or without gas, you can use other equipment. The stores offer many alternative sources of heat:
- heat pumps running on low temperature heat sources;
- solar collectors using solar energy as a heat source;
- electric heaters.
Heat pumps are widespread in Europe. There they have long passed from alternative sources of heat to the main ones. Such appliances are suitable for heating private homes. The advantage of using a heat pump is its high efficiency. Using a heat pump, you can heat the house and at the same time provide hot water. The disadvantage of this heating method is the high cost of equipment. In addition, in a city apartment, a heat pump is difficult to use.
Another option for heating equipment is solar collectors. They convert the sun's rays into coolant energy and transmit it to the consumer. These devices differ in how they work. Direct-acting devices immediately heat the water and transfer it for use in the domestic hot water system or heating. Indirect heating devices use non-freezing liquid. With its help, energy is supplied to the heat exchange circuit. Solar panels are mounted on the roofs of buildings. They can be used to heat urban apartments, if the roof area allows you to install equipment.
The main disadvantage of such a heating system is the high cost of equipment. The use of solar panels is beneficial only in European countries, since the price of energy is high there. Also, the inconvenience is strongly dependent on the stability of such equipment from weather conditions. Therefore, in our country, heating on solar collectors can be considered only as an alternative.
Heat loss reduction
In order not to suffer from cold in the apartment in autumn, care must be taken in advance to reduce heat loss. Through loosely fitting window sashes and doors, up to 30% of the heat energy is consumed. Therefore, first insulate the doors and windows. After that, the house will become much warmer.
Modern double-glazed windows, as a rule, provide a high level of tightness. Therefore, there is no need to insulate them additionally. Old wooden frames dry out over time. Large gaps appear in them, through which heat leaves. For the tightness of such window openings using putty, cotton wool, old newspapers, rags.
To keep warm, you can use plastic wrap. This material transmits sunlight, but does not allow cold air to penetrate from the outside. During the day, it is recommended to open the curtains, letting the sun into the room. They will heat the room.At night, the curtains are closed so as not to lose the warm air. It is better to use dense and heavy curtains. They give less heat loss.
When warming windows, we must not forget about the front door. The door frame is laid with insulating material. An additional insulation layer can be laid in the door leaf. Additionally, it is recommended to install a second door. It will keep warm in the house and reduce the noise level.
Another source of heat loss is a balcony or loggia. If you insulate them, you can get double protection from the cold and drafts. All surfaces on the balcony are sheathed with special heat-insulating material, and wooden doors are replaced with a modern double-glazed window. For wall cladding from the inside, it is advisable to use wooden panels. They retain heat well, look beautiful and are easy to install.
Ways to warm an apartment in the absence of central heating
According to current Russian standards, heating in the fall is turned on only if the average temperature for five consecutive days does not exceed +8 degrees. According to the calculations of public utilities during this time, the apartment building does not have time to cool down to a critical temperature. But many residents begin to freeze much earlier. Then the problem arises, how to heat the apartment at this time.
Air conditioning
Now air conditioners are in many city apartments. Usually they are used in the summer heat to create a comfortable cool indoors. But this device can work in heating mode. For most models, it is enough to carry out a simple setup and set the desired temperature a little higher than what is currently in the apartment. Then the device will heat the air in the apartment. Other models of air conditioners have a special heating function.
Electric heater
This method of keeping warm in a cold house in the fall is the easiest. Now often buy fan heaters and oil heaters. The devices of the first type distill the air with a fan and at the same time heat it. They are not designed for long work, because they are very noisy and quickly burn out. Oil heaters are a regular radiator, but they use technical oil, not water, as a filler. Such a device does not make noise and is completely safe during prolonged use.
Now other types of electric heaters are on sale. One of them is called a heat convector. It heats cold air with a spiral and releases it at the top of the device. But these devices are not widely used due to the large size and high price.
The latest development of heating equipment was carbon and infrared heaters. They work on the same principle. A special lamp emits infrared radiation that heats any objects that get in their way. In this case, the air in the room remains at the same temperature as it was. The disadvantage of such devices is that any objects that fall into the "shadow" remain cold.
Carbon and infrared heaters emit a strong glow. Therefore, using them in the dark is inconvenient.
Warm floor
This is a very convenient way to warm the apartment in the absence of central heating. The “warm floor” system is a special electric mats laid during the installation of the floor under a decorative coating. They work from the mains. If necessary, the device is simply plugged into a power outlet and it gives off heat to the surrounding area. Such a system provides a comfortable microclimate in the rooms and rationally distributes heat in space. But sometimes the power of this heating method is not enough. Then you have to use additional sources of heat.
Bathroom
Another option to increase the temperature in the apartment is to open the door to the bathroom. Very often, in urban apartments, the heating riser located in this room remains to work all year round.In addition, there is a heated towel rail, which helps to heat the space. Therefore, with the door open, warm air from the bathroom will disperse in other rooms. In this way, you can increase the temperature in the apartment by 1-2 degrees.
Emergency heating options
If the heat in the house was turned off unexpectedly and there are no additional sources of energy, you can warm yourself with improvised means. To begin with, it is worth putting on several layers of clothing. Moreover, the bottom layer should be made of natural fabric: cotton or linen. From above it is worth putting on products from wool, fleece, artificial materials. To warm your legs, use woolen socks and slippers. You can wear warm tights, leggings or tights under the main clothes. These products retain heat well.
To increase body temperature, it is recommended to drink hot tea or eat a plate of warm soup. It also warms up physical activity. Therefore, it is recommended to go in for sports. To warm the bed before bedtime, use electric heating pads or a special blanket. If there are no such appliances, you can bring hot water bottles to bed.
For sleep, you need to take a second blanket or blanket. An alternative is a sleeping bag. It is designed for cold weather and will definitely warm in the absence of heating in the apartment. Before going to bed, you need to put on warm pajamas and put on socks made of natural fabric on your legs. Synthetic is better not to use. In them, the legs will sweat and freeze even more.
Finally
With constant blackouts in the apartment, it is desirable to have heaters. Oil heaters, portable convectors warm well. At the same time, it is more convenient to use a portable model, since it is easy to transfer to another room. Such devices quickly warm, but increase energy consumption. Therefore, with poorly functioning heating, you should definitely contact the management company to solve this problem.
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