Carbon Dioxide & My Temperature Control
Everyone talks about Wim Hof now. I follow why and I'm a big fan of Wim Hof. But how about helping the planet through the temperature control challenge?
Wim Hof alias The Iceman is a Duch guy who is affecting thousands of us. Want to know more about Wim Hof and his method? Watch out the video below.
Enjoyed Wim Hof? Let's move to home temperature control and how I manage it.
I didn't start with my temperature control because of my physical or spiritual body. The #1 reason was our home, Pacha Mamma. Our carbon footprint is out of control, the average 4-members family creates over 10 tonnes (=10,000 kilos =22,000 pounds) of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year.
My simple idea was to reduce the temperature at home by 1ºC. Just 1ºC reduction makes 8-10% cut of energy consumption which leads to reduction of CO2 creation.
To make it a challenge I decided to reduce the temperature from 22ºC to 18ºC the next day during the winter season. I'm a heat person. I love when I'm in a warm environment and don't shake because of the cold. I took it as a challenge and was not scared about losing my hygge temperature. Surprisingly, it was not bad. Or at least not as much as I expected.
I learned to wear my beloved Bison Socks along with sweater or poncho at home. I was warm again and decided to push things a bit more.
So I set a new custom temperature for the morning, the day and the night.
- Morning: 15ºC.
This runs from 6 am until 7:45 am. - Day: 12ºC
This runs from 7:45 am until 5:30 pm. - Evening: 16ºC
This runs from 5:30 pm until 9:15 pm. - Night: 14ºC
This runs from 9:15 pm until 6 am.
Special temperature:
- Luxury: 19ºC
The special temperature when friends are visiting. I noticed that for some reason friends spend less time at our place and rather invite us. Some friends have never visited me after this change of temperature settings. :)
The following graph presents the indoor temperature (black line) and boiler ON time (orange columns) during January 2019 (average outdoor high 2ºC, average outdoor low -4ºC) and February 2019 (average outdoor high 7ºC, average outdoor low -2ºC).
The humidity is around 49%.
Such good humidity with low temperature is achieved by enough ventilation — windows are being opened frequently, especially in the bedroom I tend to keep them open all the time, even when it’s freezing outside (yay). For reference, the ideal relative humidity should be between 40–55%. If humidity is too high, you can experience condensation on windows, wet stains on walls, mold, musty odor, etc. The ideal relative humidity and humidity control can be a topic itself. Watch humidity carefully when you start playing with temperature to avoid health issues.
When I compare February 2018 with February 2019, I made 68% energy savings and we are among the 7% most energy efficient homes compared to neighbors. We use Vaillant TV VUW ecoTEC pro boiler remotely controlled by Netatmo Energy.
There is an interesting table which appliances make the most impact on your bill and carbon footprint. You can find it at CarbonFootprint.com
Other benefits I discovered because of this temperature control
- I'm able to drive motorbike almost regardless of the weather. OK, I know I'm running it on gas (yet!).
- I don't feel cold most of the season.
- I'm able to think efficiently at home because of a colder environment.
A few tips I use to reduce carbon footprint:
- Boil only water you need. (people usually boil more water than they need, especially in the kettle)
- Reduce bathing and switch to showering. If your shower is around 10kW, you can save up to 23kg of generated CO2 for every minute you cut during your showering session.
- Control and automate your electrical equipment. This is kind of specific topic as I'm a fan of home automation. I personally use Sonoff (and other devices, but mainly Sonoff), to control my electrical appliances. With Sonoff I'm able to measure their consumption, I can shut them down (or turn them on, scheduling them, etc.) remotely via Google Home and eWeLink and I was able to realize which devices are consuming the most and I keep this in the mind while using them.
- Reduce heating at home. I use Netatmo Energy Smart Thermostat to control the temperature remotely and follow heating patterns.
- Switch to Low Energy Lights. I change lights only when they broke or someone needs the old ones. That's how I have switched to around 85% of Low Energy Lights, the rest still waits to be upgraded.
Links:
- CO2 — Why are CO2 emissions bad
- eurostat — Complete Energy Balances
- eurostat — Cooling and heating degree days by EU countries
- Sonoff Automation — https://sonoff.itead.cc/en/
- Netatmo Energy — https://www.netatmo.com
