With the heating on, do we have to open or close the doors?

To save energy and on the electricity or gas bill, it is necessary to combine many small measures, day by day. A question that many people ask is whether it is better to open or close the doors when the heating starts.

It’s better to close the doors

The answer is very clear, it is better to close the doors. Doors are more than just an ornament, they can help us save energy. If we close the doors of the individual rooms of the house or flat, we can save up to 5% on the cost of home heating.

We are interested, above all, in heating the rooms where we spend the most time, and this can only be achieved if we do not allow the heat to be distributed to areas where we spend less time.

A different temperature for each space in the house

Not all rooms need constant heating throughout the day. The temperatures recommended by different environmental agencies for some areas of the home are the following:

Halls: 20º to 22ºCKitchen: 18ºCBedroom: 17º to 18º C

To make sure your energy costs don’t skyrocket, it is advisable to set the heating level in each room individually, and then keep the doors closed.

Closing basement and attic doors is especially important because it can save a lot of energy. If there are open stairs, the hot air rises. If you don’t have a door to close, it may be a good idea to use a thick fabric curtain or thermal curtains.

There is also an exception to this rule: you can leave the doors open with a clear conscience if the rooms have almost the same temperature.

Close the doors, especially when ventilating

You should also close the doors when ventilating the rooms. If the doors are kept open, the excess moisture travels to other rooms, instead of out of the house. And the accumulation of humid air reduces the efficiency of heating.

Experts calculate that closing the doors when ventilating you can save up to 20 euros a year.

Closing the doors of the rooms prevents mold

Energy is an argument for closing the doors between the individual rooms of the home. Mold is another good reason. Closing doors can help prevent mold growth and possible structural damage.

If you leave the door open between a warm room and a cold room, the warm air can hold more moisture than the cold air, the warm air moves into the cold room, taking the moisture with it on the journey. Moisture condenses on cold walls and becomes the perfect breeding ground for the formation of dangerous mold.

Adequate humidity in the rooms of your home

Relative humidity always depends on the ambient temperature. The higher the temperature, the more moisture the air can hold. The interaction of both values ​​influences the perceptible ambient climate and your well-being. A humidity of around 50% is a good value in any case, or the following values ​​depending on the room:

Humidity in the living room and study must be between 40 and 60%.The same values ​​apply to the bedroom, although the temperatures there are usually lower.Temperatures are also usually lower in the kitchen. When cooking, however, additional condensation occurs, which increases the humidity. A good value is between 50 and 60%The humidity in the bathroom is higher. There it can be between 50 and 70%. Due to the large amount of condensation that enters the air when showering and bathing, the temperature can be significantly higher than in the rest of the house.

There are also health risks if the air humidity is too high. From 70% humidity, mold can develop on surfaces due to condensation.