What is energy efficiency and how can we achieve it in our homes?
| modified: 20 May 2022
What exactly does energy efficiency mean and what are the main ways to achieve it in our homes? Let’s find out in this practical mini-guide.
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Efficiency or saving?
Though “energy efficiency” is an increasingly widespread concept, especially when talking about environmental issues such as reducing harmful emissions, we might not always have a very clear idea of what it is. Energy efficiency and energy saving may be considered as synonyms. In fact, efficiency refers to a system’s capacity to perform a given task with the lowest possible consumption of energy, but without compromising the end result or, in a domestic context, home comfort.
Energy saving, on the other hand, may also involve a certain, minimum sacrifice of quality in terms of performance in order to prioritize reduction of consumption levels.
In practical terms, we can say that energy efficiency is being able to “do better with less” by using the best technologies available on the market and adopting more responsible and better-informed behaviour. But how is all this done at home? Here are some useful suggestions…
Reducing energy waste
According to Enea’s 2017 Energy Efficiency Report, Italian families spend an average of around 1,500 euros a year on energy (gas, fuel oil and electricity). This is a considerable sum and one that, according to the Report, could be cut by at least 10% by eliminating waste due to poor management of resources.
Regarding the home in particular, here are the main ways to improve energy efficiency in our homes:
- insulation of walls using an exterior insulation and finishing system to prevent dispersion of heat;
- installation of windows with high thermal transmittance that guarantee effective insulation;
- adoption of more efficient home appliances, lighting and heating systems.
Such measures will not only deliver immediate savings on bills but also help reduce emissions of CO2 and other substances harmful to the environment and our health.
Choosing an efficient solution for home
Space and water heating is a vital part of our efforts to achieve high energy efficiency in the home. Thanks to technological innovations, Ariston now has solutions for heating spaces and water that can guarantee top performance with energy consumption well below levels in the past.
Here are some of the most commonly used solutions.
CONDENSING BOILERS
Condensing boilers exploit the latent heat of steam in exhaust fumes by recovering part of the energy to produce heat rather than letting it be dispersed with the fumes (and into the environment). This recovery of energy translates into an appreciable saving on utility bills, as much as 35% compared to a traditional old generation boiler, as well as considerably lowering harmful emissions of course. Find out here about all the advantages of switching to a Ariston condensing boiler of high energy efficiency and discover which one is best suited to your needs.
HEAT PUMPS
Considered truly revolutionary in the field of thermal comfort, a heat pump may be described as a mechanism that transfers thermal energy from a source at a lower temperature to one with a higher temperature.
The innovation lies in the fact that heat pumps are powered mainly by the air and thus by inexhaustible energy sources supplied by nature itself: a considerable advantage not only economically but also in terms of environmental sustainability.
Ariston has various types of heat pumps to choose from, depending on your needs: from heat pump water heaters like Ariston’s NUOS range, to heating heat pumps that provide with heating, hot water and cooling solutions, as in the case of Ariston’s Nimbus Net range.
It’s also important to remember that heat pumps can be combined with solar systems to further reduce energy consumption.
HYBRID TECHNOLOGIES, TO ACHIEVE MORE EFFICIENCY
There are now solutions capable of combining the most advanced technologies. One is Hybrid Systems, which combine condensing boilers and high-performance heat pumps to guarantee optimum thermal comfort at the minimum energy consumption. Ariston Hybrid Systems offer highly attractive benefit with Hybrid Manager technology, which automatically selects the most convenient heating sources at all time.: let’s discover Ariston’s hybrid system ranges here.
