With the arrival of the cold weather and the turning on of the radiators, the problem of gas bills and heating costs returns, especially at a time of extraordinary price increases. But how much can you save by changing some habits at home? According to Enea, the National Agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable economic development, lowering the temperature by just one degree is enough to reduce the consumption of fuel for heating by up to 10%. Translated into euros, the savings on the bill are substantial and can even exceed 100 euros. But there would also be other measures to take.
1. Heating with the 19 degree rule: how much you really save
Enea has provided four simple rules for saving on home heating costs. The first concerns the temperature to be maintained: 19 degrees is considered sufficient to guarantee thermal comfort, without necessarily having to set the thermostat to 21 or 22 degrees.
“19 degrees is enough to have the necessary comfort in your home. For every degree less you save up to 10% on fuel consumption”, explains Nicolandrea Calabrese, head of the Enea laboratory for Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Urban Development.
But how much is this saving worth in euros? To have a concrete reference, you can use the latest price published by Arera: 0.882638 euros per standard cubic meter (Smc) for the variable share of gas sales in the Vulnerability Protection Service.
Assuming that a home consumes 1,000 cubic meters (standard) of gas for heating alone during the winter season, the maximum reduction of 10% indicated by Enea would correspond to 100 Scm saved. Multiplying this quantity by the Arera price gives savings on the bill: around 88 euros per season on the gas sales component.
| Seasonal consumption for heating | Gas saved (10%) | Savings in euros |
| 800 Scm | 80 Scm | €70.61 |
| 1,000 Smc | 100 Scm | €88.26 |
| 1,200 Smc | 120 Scm | €105.92 |
2. How to make the most of radiators while saving money
The actual saving in fact depends on the characteristics of the home, the thermal insulation, the efficiency of the system, the supply contract and the climatic conditions. And the second Enea rule concerns thermal dispersion. Even an efficient system can consume energy unnecessarily if the heat produced is dispersed or fails to spread correctly throughout the rooms.
Enea suggests some simple measures, which do not require renovation work:
- Do not cover radiators with curtains, furniture or other obstacles that prevent heat circulation.
- Lower the shutters at night or use heavy curtains to limit heat loss through the windows.
- Open the windows for a few minutes, preferably in the middle of the day, when the outside temperature is higher.
Furthermore, ventilating rooms remains essential for air quality, but leaving windows open for a long time during the winter can lead to unnecessary heat loss. Then there is an often overlooked factor: comfort does not only depend on the temperature indicated by the thermostat. If walls and windows are cold or poorly insulated, you may feel cold even with an internal temperature above 20 degrees.
3. Boilers, heat pumps and smart thermostats: savings of up to 25%
The third rule concerns heating systems. According to Enea, adopting high efficiency technologies can reduce overall consumption by up to 25%, through the installation of latest generation condensing boilers or heat pumps, combined with thermostatic valves and advanced regulation systems.
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Electric heat pumps allow you to heat rooms and produce domestic hot water, also being able to exploit energy from renewable sources. Intelligent temperature management can also help avoid waste. Chronothermostats, presence sensors and remote control systems allow you to adapt the heating to the actual needs of those who live in the house.
Furthermore, smart meters allow you to monitor consumption and identify any anomalies, leaks or malfunctions.
4. Boiler maintenance: how much you save and what the fines are
Finally, the fourth rule concerns the periodic maintenance of the systems. According to enea, a perfectly efficient system can reduce energy consumption by up to 40%.
Maintenance is also important for safety and is regulated by law. Presidential Decree 74/2013 provides that checks and any interventions are carried out by authorized companies, according to the requirements and periodicities established by the technical documentation of the system and its components. There is therefore no universally valid annual deadline for all maintenance operations.
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Anyone who does not comply with the obligations also risks a sanction: fines of 500 to 3,000 euros are foreseen for the plant manager who omits mandatory checks and maintenance.
By applying all 4 rules, the whole of Italy could consume 800 million standard cubic meters of gas less than in 2025, an amount equivalent to the needs needed to heat almost 700,000 homes.