The student buildings and student houses at DUWO have different types of heating installations. The smaller buildings often have individual systems, but many of our large student complexes are heated by a communal system. And this is what often raises questions, especially during times of seasonal change such as autumn and spring. ‘Is the heating actually working?’ ‘It’s too cold’. ‘It’s too hot’. We want to give you some insight into how our communal heating systems work and explain our approach to the challenges of sustainability.
In the past, before we faced the prospect of large-scale energy transition, everything was relatively simple: you turned up the dial on an individual heating element and you were warm in no time. In those days the large communal heating was simply turned on in winter (heating up very quickly) and turned off in summer. This method wasted huge amounts of energy in gas or electricity consumption.
Environmentalism and sustainability
DUWO has an environmental policy regarding sustainability. This means that we are working on a comprehensive programme to make our student buildings more sustainable; we encourage sustainable behaviour among tenants, and we are upgrading or reconfiguring our installations to be more energy efficient. This also includes the heating systems. For example, we now use staged programming for the communal heating boilers,, and to be weather dependent to ensure the heating system corresponds with the outside air temperature.
A student apartment also needs to acclimatise to the weather
This means that settings must be implemented gradually. The colder or hotter it becomes in autumn or spring, the higher or lower the temperature of the water in the pipes will be adjusted. In general, this starts in autumn at 40 degrees with an outdoor temperature of 15°C, and ends at 70°C at an outdoor temperature of 0°C. In spring, this is reversed. To be as energy efficient as possible, the flow temperature is increased or decreased in increments of 5°C. In addition to the outside temperature, the exact settings depend on the building type. If the water temperature is adapted to the outside temperature, then a student building must adjust to the new situation and needs some time to warm up or cool down. This means that the building does not immediately become too hot or too cold after the heating has been adjusted. This takes a little time.
Winter coat, summer jacket
Especially during seasonal transition periods when the weather changes, the ideal energy-efficient settings for the communal installation is customised. You could compare this to how you would modify your clothing when the outside temperature changes, and when you can once again leave the house without your coat. Time for your summer jacket or winter coat? One day you can go out wearing a sweater, the next day you may need to wear a coat. This is also the case with student buildings. If it is cold or hot for a longer period of time, it is not difficult to adjust the heater. However, if temperatures fluctuate significantly, then the system needs to be adjusted more frequently.
Is there anything you can do about the heating?
That depends on the outside temperature. Basically, you can set the temperature in your own room. However, if, for example, it is autumn and 16°C outside, if you set the temperature to 21°C, it will take a while to reach 21°C, as the water in your pipes has not yet reached the highest temperature. If it is 0°C in winter, it will heat up to 21°C more quickly. So, if your heating does not warm up very quickly when the outside temperature is low, you usually have nothing to worry about, you simply need to be patient.
You can adjust your indoor temperature to suit your daily routine. For example, if you get up at 7:30 and start work on your laptop at 9:00, you can set the temperature to 18-19°C at 7:30 and to 21°C at 9:00.
And what if you’re from a tropical country?
In particular, students arriving from very warm countries sometimes have difficulty with the temperature in their Dutch home. In the past, you could simply set the heating to 25°C anywhere in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this is no longer possible. Not with the current climate crisis and the high price of gas. There are many people in the Netherlands who now set their heating temperature to somewhere between 17 and 19°C; 21℃ in our DUWO buildings is quite a comfortable temperature.
Here are some tips for sustainable warmth:
- Make sure that nothing is obstructing your radiator.
For example, a couch placed against the radiator, or curtains hanging over or a shelf above it. - Keep the curtains closed
Keep your curtains closed at night, and make sure they don't hang over the radiator. This keeps the heat inside. - Open the oven door after use
After the oven has been on, it helps to leave the oven door open when you have finished cooking. This can raise your heat by one degree. - Ventilation
This may seem a contradictory piece of advice. But a well-ventilated dry space heats up much, much quicker than a humid room. Damp air is removed by ensuring there is ventilation. - Keep moving
A quick way to warm up is to move around between periods of sitting. Put your muscles to work, dance, do knee bends, clean the kitchen, walk up and down the stairs, etc. Good for your health as well. - 19 degrees
And while you're moving around, set your thermostat to 19 degrees. This the ideal temperature for when you're active. - Have hot drinks
Tea (ginger tea: great way to feel warm), hot chocolate, soup, coffee, etc. - Wear layers
Multiple layers will help retain heat around your body.