Many people know that living in a poorly insulated home results in huge energy bills. But our ancestors knew many ways to keep the heat and comfort in the room without extra spending. Thanks to modern infrared cameras and advances in physics, we can determine how these methods work and how effective they are.
The house cools down mainly not from air convection, but from the radiation of heat into the environment. Therefore, even central heating can be a weak helper. The air in the room has time to heat up, but the walls do not. As a result, you continue to shiver from the cold.
Fortunately, there are five easy ways to overcome this problem and minimize your energy costs.
Close the curtains for the night
During the day, windows repel more radiation energy than they let in. Freely through the glass penetrates only sunlight. For infrared rays, this material becomes an obstacle. At night, thin single-layer double-glazed windows can cause extreme cold. Even if you try to keep the air temperature in the apartment at around 20 ° C every day, with the advent of darkness and a sharp drop in the street, this value can drop to 7 ° C.
Double-glazed windows are also not always able to keep the heat in the house. Even a small drop in temperature, up to 14 ° C, will lead to energy losses of about 50-100 W per square meter.
The best way to prevent this sudden loss of stored heat is to close the curtains just after sunset. This will provide an additional barrier to radiant energy in the room. In addition, curtains will protect against drafts and partially isolate the room. 
Hang the walls of the room
Solid brick or stone walls are better insulators than glass, but they still release a lot of heat from the room. Therefore, it will not hurt to take measures to provide them with additional protection. You can reduce energy losses by simply covering the walls with paintings or mirrors. Even an ordinary poster will be able to raise the air temperature in the room by about 1 °C. The most effective option is to hang carpets on the walls. Even if you are not a Russian oligarch, or you simply do not like this interior design, you should not immediately abandon this idea. Trust me, it's really worth it.
Another option is to place bookshelves along the wall. Old books can not only decorate your room, but also act as excellent insulators. 
Insulate your front door
Of course, it all depends on the material from which the door to your apartment is made. But, it is likely that it is she who is the culprit of most of the heat loss. In summer, you may not notice this, but winter always brings frost and drafts with it. Just imagine how much cold can penetrate through the cracks in the doorway and the door itself. Attach a curtain at the entrance to eliminate excess air circulation. Try to make sure that the curtain covers the entire doorway and the wall surrounding it. 
Use heat shields
Even if you can't limit all heat loss through exterior walls, you can still try to insulate yourself from the cold. Our ancestors used wooden screens for this purpose. They placed them behind them, sitting by the fire. The screens absorbed some of the heat, thereby warming people's backs. You could try doing the same in your home. This will be a great way to dissipate heat so it's evenly distributed throughout the room. Often such screens are placed near radiators or heaters. At least this way you don't have to constantly huddle in the warmest corner of the room. 
Arrange furniture correctly
Despite the fact that the air temperature is the same throughout the room, a person feels it differently when moving around the dwelling. So, the warmest feeling is felt near the walls, which are closer to the inside of the house. Outer walls carry more cold. Try to use this information. Arrange the furniture so that it is located against the inner wall.
Of course, to concentrate all the components of the interior in one part of the room would be inappropriate. For example, you put the bed against the inner wall, and the table is opposite. Then the second piece of furniture will automatically be in the cold zone. You can fix it with improvised means. In order not to freeze your feet, try to cover the area of \u200b\u200bthe wall under the table with a sheet of cardboard. And right above your head you can hang a shelf.
Energy saving is currently relevant for every person. Owners of private houses and cottages, who have to independently solve the problem of heating houses during the cold season, are especially interested in saving energy. And in order to maximize the savings, it is necessary to minimize heat losses.
It is also very useful to think about heat loss for those who are just going to build their own house, since heat conservation can be ensured in two ways: increase the thickness of the walls (pay attention to ancient castles - their walls were made thick not only for security reasons in case of war, but mainly for the sake of keeping warm) or apply modern methods of thermal insulation. It should be noted that increasing the thickness of the walls is the construction of a massive foundation, which leads to significant costs (the foundation is the most expensive part of the house).
In addition to increasing the thickness of the walls, there is another way to reduce heat loss and the cost of heating a house, which has been used in Russia for a long time: reducing the volume of rooms. No wonder our ancestors had houses with low doorways and small rooms with low ceilings - such a room requires less heating costs, and it is easier to keep warm in it. But modern methods of thermal insulation allow minimizing heat loss in large rooms, you just need to use these methods.
What is thermal insulation for?
The first and most obvious answer to this question is that insulation is essential to reduce heat loss in a home. However, the function of thermal insulation does not end with minimizing heat loss.
Those who believe that thermal insulation is necessary only for the cold season are mistaken, and in regions with a warm climate and mild winters, thermal insulation can be neglected. On the one hand, such an opinion is quite logical: if the ambient temperature does not drop below zero during the cold season, then heating costs are much less than in regions with harsher winters, and such thermal insulation as in cold regions is not required. However, thermal insulation not only prevents heat loss from the house to the environment, but also preserves the microclimate of the premises. In addition, in the hot season, thermal insulation prevents overheating of the premises, that is, it works not only in the cold, but also in the warm season.
Also, thermal insulation contributes to the uniformity of the temperature regime in all areas of the house. In addition, heating equipment operating at full capacity contributes to the drying of the air in the house, which is harmful to human health. Reducing the power of the equipment due to the presence of thermal insulation improves the humidity characteristics of the home atmosphere. That is, in fact, thermal insulation serves not only to prevent heat loss, but precisely to create and maintain certain temperature and humidity conditions inside the house that are most comfortable for a person.
Another function of thermal insulation is sound insulation. The presence of thermal insulation protects the interior of the house from external sounds, which is especially important if the house is located in a busy place (for example, near a highway). But even in a quiet village corner, singing roosters can cause a lot of discomfort - in the absence of proper soundproofing of the premises.
In addition to the comfort of living, the effect of thermal insulation on the durability of the building should be taken into account. The fact is that in the absence of thermal insulation in various places of building structures, cold bridges form, condensation appears, and this reduces the life of the house, destroys it. Also, sudden changes in temperature have a destructive effect (for example, high temperatures during the day and low at night - such changes are typical for regions with a hot climate). Thermal insulation of structures protects them from such temperature effects, eliminates cold bridges, prevents the formation of condensate, which results in a significant increase in the service life of the building.
How does heat loss occur in a house?
In order to figure out which parts of the house need thermal insulation, you should find out - but how does heat loss occur?
The first thing to exclude is heat loss through the building envelope. That is, it is necessary to insulate the walls of the building. It is in the enclosing structures that cold bridges, freezing places, and the formation of condensate are formed, leading to rotting and destruction of the walls. The lack of wall insulation, in addition to heat loss, also means a significant reduction in the service life of the building, the need for frequent repairs.
It is optimal if the thermal protection is installed outside the enclosing structures, since installation inside leads to a deterioration in the microclimate inside the building (thermal insulation located in this way prevents natural air circulation through the walls), as well as to the loss of usable space. A vapor barrier device is also necessary, since heat escapes through the enclosing structures with steam, that is, the humidity of the heat-insulating material gradually increases and its protective functions can be not only reduced, but completely lost.
In addition to load-bearing structures, special attention should be paid to windows - heat loss through windows is one of the most significant: it has been found that old-design wooden window frames let out up to 70% of heat from the house. Replacing such windows with modern double-glazed windows can significantly reduce heat loss. At the same time, double-glazed windows can be both wooden and metal or made of PVC. For the climate of central Russia, double-glazed windows are considered optimal.
Also, heat losses occur through the heating system itself: with exhaust gases, in pipelines, and so on. This problem is especially acute for old private houses, where old-style heating systems are installed. To reduce such heat losses, it is necessary to replace the heating system. Modern heating systems are designed in such a way that heat losses during their use are minimal, there are also options that use heat from flue gases to heat rooms, thus reducing heating costs.
How much is heat loss
The more various "holes" in the house through which heat losses occur, the more expensive it is to pay for heating during the heating season. But before starting construction or repair work, it is useful to compare the cost of the overpayment with the cost of a reliable thermal insulation device, and determine the payback period. This does not mean that there is no need to do thermal insulation, but if there are financial problems, then the calculation of heat losses will help determine the order of work: the largest "holes" must be closed first.
From this point of view, windows present the greatest problem - old or low-quality frames provide large heat losses, and as a result, the cost of heating rises by 25-30%. Replacing old windows with double-glazed windows is not very cheap, but it pays off in two years, and then the net savings begin.
The next problematic place is the building envelope. Heat loss through the walls leads not only to an increase in the cost of heating, but also to a decrease in the maintenance-free life of the house. If you do not take care of high-quality insulation of building envelopes, then you will constantly have to do repairs, and this is much more expensive than good thermal insulation.
Other "holes" in the thermal insulation can be closed later - depending on the financial situation. But those who want to live in comfortable conditions and save on heating should protect themselves and their home from any kind of heat loss as much as possible.
Heat losses of modern houses. Scene from the Discovery Channel:
Nowadays, home insulation is increasingly becoming a necessity. Insufficient thermal insulation causes heat loss, even if you use the most economical electric convector, as a result, heating costs increase, and there is a risk of damage to the walls due to frequent freezing.
However, the topic of insulation is very complex. One of the possible common solutions is to insulate the exterior walls of the house with the help of external heat-insulating contact systems. External thermal insulation systems currently occupy one of the main places in the insulation. Their advantage is a large functional variety, which makes it possible to manufacture a system for a specific building object in accordance with customer requirements and local conditions.
Almost everyone is increasingly asking themselves: How to reduce heating costs at home? Can something be saved? Then we have a solution for you. Predominantly more buildings (private or multi-apartment) are considered to experience significant heat losses due to their insufficient thermal insulation. The lack of thermal insulation (warming) entails not only large heat losses and ever-increasing heating costs, but also causes a greater likelihood of wall destruction from freezing.
Should you insulate your home?
One of the big advantages is a significant reduction in heat loss through the walls. By reducing heat losses, you will reduce the costs of your family budget.
External insulation of the house will prevent the walls from freezing, and the influence of temperature fluctuations will be limited. Insulating your home will extend the life of your home. In the cold season, the surfaces of insulated walls will have a higher internal temperature and will cool much more slowly. Conversely, in summer the walls will not get very hot, which will provide you with coolness and comfort in hot weather. The room temperature will improve. By insulating your home, you prevent hypothermia of the walls and the appearance of condensation on them.
In not the most insulated house, an expressive loss of heat occurs. Walls freeze - the freezing point is approximately in the middle of the wall thickness.
The internal insulation of the house will limit heat loss, but such insulation will not prevent the walls from freezing. Such a system, without accumulating properties, with such warming of the room heats up quickly, but also cools down quickly. In addition, condensation can form between the wall and the insulation, which can lead to mold.
With external insulation, the freezing point is insulated, so the walls do not freeze through. With external insulation, the walls heat up and have the ability to accumulate heat, while heat loss is minimal.
Keywords: How to reduce heat loss, winter time, Insufficient thermal insulation, functional diversity, destruction of walls from freezing, the appearance of mold, accumulate heat, hypothermia of walls, condensation
Question:
Please briefly describe the main ways of heat loss in the house
Answer:
Heat loss in the house occur mainly in three ways.
Direct heat transfer through walls, floors and ceilings. Due to the difference between the internal and external temperatures, heat exchange occurs. Heat is transferred from the room to the outside. This method of heat loss is very important in concrete structures. Other buildings are dominated by other paths heat leakage. The fact is that wood, brick, foam block, etc. have a fairly low thermal conductivity, namely, the thermal conductivity of the material of the walls, floor and ceiling determines the level of heat loss. To reduce this type of loss, thermal insulation is used - materials with low thermal conductivity are laid in the walls, ceiling and floor. Usually it is mineral or glass wool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, expanded clay. Usually a layer of 5 - 10 cm is enough.
Infrared radiation. All objects in the room are heated to room temperature. They emit infrared radiation, which penetrates the outside, taking heat with it. The main way to combat this type of loss is to use a film that reflects thermal radiation along the thermal contour of the house, usually based on aluminum. Such a film not only helps to retain heat in the winter, but also reduces the heating of the room in the summer in the heat.
air currents. Air from the room, heated to room temperature, leaves the building and is replaced by cold air from the street. If such losses are intensive, then drafts are observed in the house. It is impossible to completely exclude air exchange with the outside world, it is necessary to maintain a normal level of humidity and the content of oxygen and carbon dioxide. But this process must be manageable, dependent on our will, and not on the temperature of the air overboard and the wind. This is achieved by carefully sealing the room and making special overlapping ventilation openings.
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