How to reduce my heating budget

Three levers, of very unequal weight

Reducing a heating bill comes down to three things: cutting losses, controlling better, and changing the way you heat. They do not cost the same and they do not return the same. Tackling them out of order is the surest way to spend a great deal for very little.

The cheapest lever

Control costs nothing. Schedules that match how the home is actually lived in, a sensible setpoint, and unoccupied rooms brought down to a low temperature produce an immediate effect. That is where to start, before buying anything.

The most profitable lever

Airtightness and ceiling insulation come next. The ceiling is the surface through which a home loses most, and it is also the easiest to treat without touching the structure or the facade. It is the best ratio between what you spend and what you get back.

The heaviest lever

Changing the way you heat comes last, because it is the most expensive and because its return depends on the first two. Installing an efficient system in a home that leaks amounts to heating the outside efficiently.

What radiation changes on the bill

A radiant system heats surfaces and people rather than air, and warm air is precisely what escapes through airtightness defects. For the same felt comfort, the air setpoint can therefore be lower.

The cost of an installation is set out on the how much does a radiant ceiling consume page, and the selection method on the page about choosing a way to heat.