Holiday Trip – How to Protect Your Empty Home from Cold and Frost?

The holidays are approaching – a time of joy, family gatherings, and trips. However, this often means leaving our home unattended for several days or even weeks, which can pose a serious threat due to low temperatures. In this article, we will advise you on how to secure your empty home against cold and frost, so that you don’t encounter unpleasant surprises upon your return.

What can be the consequences of not heating your home?

Not heating your home during winter for several days or even weeks, especially when temperatures drop below zero, leads to many undesirable consequences. What are they?

One of the most common problems is freezing of the plumbing system, which can lead to bursting and serious damage to pipes. Such failures require not only costly repairs but can also cause flooding and damage to other structural elements or furnishings.

Building materials, such as wood or plaster, often react to temperature changes – they start to crack and deform, which can lead to permanent structural damage to the building, including walls, floors, and ceilings. As we know, low temperatures also affect electronics and household appliances, as batteries that power devices will lose their efficiency or stop working altogether.

Another threat is malfunctioning of the heating system. Sometimes, the furnace may have difficulty restarting after such a long period of inactivity, which also requires service intervention.

Moreover, the consequences of not heating your home include not only technical problems. Low temperatures inside the house promote an increase in humidity levels. This, in turn, creates ideal conditions for the development of mold and fungi, especially in poorly ventilated rooms. These microorganisms, apart from destroying the appearance of beautifully decorated interiors, are very harmful to our health, particularly for those who are allergic to them.

In summary, heating an empty home in winter is not just about keeping it warm. It is also about protecting against potential damages that may arise from extreme weather conditions. Good heating practices not only provide optimal conditions for the building but also eliminate the risk of problems related to winter weather. Therefore, it is worth ensuring that our empty home is adequately heated, even when we are not present.

What temperature is appropriate in the house during winter?

Before we start planning our holiday trip, it is worth finding out what temperature in the house during winter is most beneficial for us, as well as for the building itself and its furnishings. Experts in construction and energy recommend maintaining it between 10°C and 15°C. This temperature is sufficient to protect against cold and moisture while also allowing for energy savings.

Therefore, when deciding on a longer absence, it is important to ensure this minimum temperature in the empty house, which will help us avoid, among other things, heating system failures or mold growth.

Heating comfort – what is it?

And what temperature is appropriate to achieve heating comfort? Before we answer this question, it is worth first understanding what it actually is.

Heating comfort is a term referring to the level of warmth in a room that makes the people in it feel comfortable. Although it is a subjective matter, there are general guidelines that help determine optimal conditions for most of us.

One of the most important factors affecting heating comfort is the air temperature in the room. It is generally considered that within residential buildings, it ranges between 20°C and 22°C. Besides the air temperature itself, the temperature of surfaces in the room, such as walls and floors, is also important, as they can make the room feel cooler than it actually is. Additionally, the level of humidity has a significant impact. It is assumed that it should be maintained between 30-50%.

Heating comfort is therefore a complex concept that takes into account both the physical aspects of the environment and the subjective feelings of the people in it. Ensuring heating comfort in a house or apartment is important not only for the well-being and health of the residents but also for the energy efficiency of the buildings.

Fortunately, there are heating systems, such as infrared heating, that allow for achieving full comfort by eliminating cold spots in rooms and ensuring energy efficiency.

Holiday Trip – How to Protect Your Empty Home from Cold?

To properly secure your empty home against cold, it is worth taking several important steps. First of all, check that all windows and doors are properly closed, as they can be a source of significant heat loss.

The next step when planning a holiday trip is to turn off unnecessary electrical devices. This not only saves energy but also minimizes the risk of equipment failure. Additionally, it is advisable to unplug some small appliances, such as chargers, to avoid unnecessary power consumption.

However, the most important step is to set the appropriate temperature during your absence. Remember that completely turning off the heating system is not cost-effective. Why?

Let’s conduct a short thought experiment. Suppose we have two rooms of the same size and thermal insulation. In one, we turn off the heating, and in the other, we reduce it to 10°C. Then, we turn on the heating in both and raise the temperature to a comfortable 21°C. Which heating system will consume less energy? Of course, the one installed in the second room, as it only needs to heat it by 11°C, not 21°C, as is the case in the first room.

It is also worth mentioning the return to a cold house and the unpleasant feeling of cold. If you use a traditional heating system based on convection heating, it requires some patience. Heating the house with radiators or underfloor heating will take some time.

However, in the case of infrared heating, the situation is quite different. A characteristic feature of these heating systems is low inertia and quick action. Infrared waves do not heat the air but the objects they hit (as well as people and plants). Thanks to this, you will feel warmth on your body within minutes. Infrared heating thus becomes not only an effective but also a quick solution, providing thermal comfort even after returning home from a long absence, such as after a holiday trip.

Infrared Heating System – An Innovative Solution

We have already written about the quick action of infrared heating, but what exactly is infrared? It is radiation that is a component of the energy reaching us from the Sun. Commonly, we refer to this energy as light, but this terminology is not entirely accurate. The warmth we feel on our skin on a summer day comes from infrared, not visible light. To prove this, we can conduct a second experiment.

Recall a campfire on a summer night. When you stand close to the fire, you feel the warmth radiating from it. You can also see its glow. But what happens when you move a few meters away from the fire? You will feel significantly cooler, but you will still see the glow from the fire. This is proof that it is not light that warms us, but infrared. The same is true for heating in the home. Films and infrared heating mats are the most natural source of heat that exists.

WiFi Thermostat – Returning to a Warm Home

Returning from vacation can be very difficult. It’s worse if you come back to a cold house and have to wait several hours before it becomes pleasantly warm. The solution to this problem is the right thermostat with a WiFi module. This small device that controls the heating system can ensure a pleasant return home.

To do this, simply install the appropriate app to control your heating from anywhere in the world. Do you know that you will be home in a few hours? Set the appropriate temperature before your return to enjoy the warmth.

Conclusion

When planning a holiday trip, remember the consequences that may await you if you leave a non-heated home in winter. It is worth finding out how to secure your empty home against cold and frost, what temperature is optimal, and what the consequences of insufficient heating of your four walls may be.

Infrared heating is a modern solution that can make controlling the temperature in an empty home simpler and more effective. Take care of your apartment or house, even when you are far from it, to avoid unpleasant surprises and enjoy peace during the magical holiday season.