Interior architecture: good practices to save energy

Given the beneficial climate enjoyed by our country, Spain is one of the countries that consumes the least energy on the continent in the residential sector. The latest data shows that this sector represents just over 15% of the total energy consumed in Spain (a sector that is only below the transport sector, which accounts for 35% of total energy consumption). The data also shows that using inefficient appliances can lead to a 5% increase in energy consumed per household. If you are thinking of renovating the interior architecture of your home, we will explain the main energy consumers and some good practices to achieve greater energy efficiency.

What are the main energy consumers of buildings?

The energy consumption inside our buildings comes from the various equipment and installations such as air conditioning, heating, the generation of domestic hot water (DHW), all lighting systems, and appliances. Among them, heating and air conditioning are the systems that consume the most energy, followed by the production of DHW. Lighting and appliances occupy the last position.

A comfortable interior architecture with some good practices that help us save

Are you considering renovating the interior architecture of your home? Here are some methods you can apply if you want to reduce the consumption of your heating, cooling, and ventilation system.

Heating

• Equip your building with thermal insulation.
• Take advantage of the sun's hours by opening windows and blinds, and close them at night.
• Use curtains.
• Install adhesive seals in openings to improve insulation.
• Ensure that the glass in the exterior carpentry is double.
• Regulate the temperature using thermostats and timers. (Winter: 19-20 °C during the day and 16-17 °C at night).
• Whenever possible, use heat pumps instead of electric radiators. If not possible, use thermal emitter type radiators.

Cooling

• Equip your building with thermal insulation.
• Install solar protections (curtains, blinds, awnings, slats -horizontal or vertical- fixed or adjustable).
• If the façade has a lot of glass surface, a good option is to use polarized glass or reflective particle glass.
• Take advantage of the benefits of natural air conditioning supply systems such as water mist systems in plants located inside the building to create microclimates. In these cases, it is recommended to accompany the solution with an adequate ventilation system.

Ventilation

Make sure your building has adequate ventilation. This can be natural (no energy supply for air renewal) or forced (fans are used for renewal). It should be noted that ventilation systems affect heating and cooling installations.Some good practices:

• Install closing latches on fans so that cold air from outside can enter when the fans are not running.
• Use kitchen and bathroom extractors only when necessary (if we exhaust hot air from inside the building, we make the heating system work harder).
• In cases where the rooms have a lot of free height, we need to check that the temperature difference between the floor and ceiling levels does not exceed 5 °C. If it does, it is recommended to install a destratification fan equipped with a thermostat, so that hot air is sent to the lower levels. Under normal conditions, hot air rises and accumulates in the upper areas (where it is not needed). We must take into account that significant temperature differences increase thermal losses through the roof.
• If there are machines equipped with extractors, it is advisable to install them close to exterior walls to allow fresh air to enter near the extractor.
• Install thermal exchangers to recover hot air from extraction ducts.
• Install ventilation systems that regulate air according to occupancy levels, using CO2 indicator sensors.

If you are considering making renovations, remember to follow these good practices to achieve energy savings and, consequently, save on your bills. Enjoying a comfortable interior architecture is within everyone's reach.

Read more about ventilation systems and air conditioning and energy efficiency.