In Germany, a Lot of Money Is Thrown Away on Heating

The choice of words is certainly open to debate. But anyone who claims Germans are a bit dense for throwing their money away on heating – literally tossing it out the window – isn’t entirely wrong…About a third of annual energy consumption in Germany goes toward heating buildings. There are a lot of reasons for this: About 90 percent of all residential buildings were constructed before 1977, meaning before the first set of German regulations on heat insulation went into effect (source: IVPU, Industrieverband Polyurethan-Hartschaum e. V.). Non-insulated heating conduits, roofs, and walls, along with improperly sealed windows, cause substantial heat losses. Beyond that, more than four million heating systems are considered to be outdated in terms of energy. But there are various steps we can take to go easier on the environment – and on our wallets.

According to current calculations by the German Energy Agency, an average, non-renovated single-family home from 1970 with a residential space of 150 square meters uses about 4,500 liters of heating oil annually to heat rooms and provide hot water. If we assume that the price of heating oil is about 85 euros for 100 liters (price as of September 2008), that means the household incurs energy costs of about 3,825 euros per year. Depending on the scope of the modernization undertaken, up to two-thirds of that amount can be saved.

But doing so may require major investments: For example, partially insulating the ceiling of the upper floor and the pipes would cost about 7,500 euros, a new heating system with condensing technology and solar heating about 12,000, and full renovation about 47,000 euros. However, these investments do amortize after just 10 to 16 years, and also – another important point – raise the market value of the building, because the factor of a building’s energy quality is becoming an increasingly important criterion. This applies equally to users of owner-occupied homes, potential buyers, and tenants.Save in the triple digits each year, with tesamoll®And yet even with comparatively little financial outlay, ”energy wasters” can be stopped in their tracks, yielding major savings. Depending on the type of construction and fittings, windows can make up as much as 27 percent of a home’s overall energy consumption. Help is at hand, in the form of sealing strips that close window gaps and prevent heat loss. According to an expert report issued by the Institut für Fenstertechnik e. V. (ift), in Rosenheim, Germany, all of the products in the tesamoll® range provide complete sealing. Depending on the width of the gaps around their windows and the quality of the tesamoll® product selected, consumers can save heating costs in the triple digits each year. If, for example, an older building has window gaps 2 mm wide over a total length of 25 m, and those gaps are sealed with tesamoll® E-Profile, the household budget sees savings of 124 euros right in the very first year. Over the sealing strips’ useful life, which is five years, the savings add up to more than 700 euros. And if the situation is even worse, with heated air escaping around windows through gaps 3 mm wide, and tesamoll® P-Profile is used to seal the gaps, the savings effect is 266 euros after one year and 1526 euros after five. Overall, consumers can save up to 20 percent of their annual heating costs by sealing their window gaps with tesamoll®; in the case of especially large gaps, they can even save up to 35 percent.Free online service: the tesa energy savings calculatorNow it’s easy for consumers to go online and see for themselves how high their actual potential for saving on heating costs is.

There is an energy savings calculator available at http://www.tesa.com/consumer/energy_saving. Simply enter the type of heating, the width and total length of the gap(s), and the tesamoll® product selected and the calculator displays the savings both per year and over a five-year period.