The family from Køge were on the look-out for ways to cut down on their heating consumption. They opted for modern, electronic thermostats from Danfoss - and they have not regretted their decision. On the contrary, the amount of energy they have saved has far exceeded their expectations, while in addition, the heating system has become much easier to control. Now, they look forward each day to new savings - both financial and in terms of CO2 .
"When we bought the new living solution, we were told it could save us 23% on energy consumption. After one year with living we can see that we have actually saved almost 38% - and we expect our heating bills to remain at this low level from now on, year after year."
“With these kinds of substantial savings, the payback time for the thermostats is less than three years. It has been an extremely pleasant surprise, and we are pleased that we have been able to make a little more room in our private finances, while also doing something positive for the environment.” Birgit, Export engineer, Køge
“When we bought the new living solution, we were told it could save us 23% on energy consumption. After one year with living we can see that we have actually saved almost 38% - and we expect our heating bills to remain at the same low level from now on, year after year.''
Birgit and Jan live in a charming, detached house in Køge, Denmark that was built in 1985 from recycled materials taken from an old market garden, that had previously been located on the grounds. The 200 m2 house is divided into six split levels with both open and closed spaces and provides the framework for family life, with two adults and two children. In October 2011, Birgit and Jan decided to look into how they could save energy by renewing the radiator thermostats, and over the course of just half a day at the start of November, the entire installation - consisting of 18 new radiator thermostats, four room sensors and a central control panel - was up and running.
“One of the biggest advantages is that from now on, we can set the temperature for each room individually from the central control panel. We have our bedrooms in the basement, where we generally have the temperature set lower than in the rest of the house. We have found that the comfort level in the house is even better now, because we have a pleasant and even temperature in the rooms that is adjusted to their function. We are very happy that the thermostat in the bathroom shuts off automatically when we open the window to air the room, and starts up again automatically once the window has been closed or no more than 30 minutes after, so the bathroom is always pleasantly warm,” explained Birgit.
It is a relief for the family not to have to turn the heat up and down in each individual room: this happens completely automatically. All rooms can be set to basic temperature, reduced nighttime temperature, etc. from the central Link panel. Should something need changing, this can be done with a simple press of the button for the room currently listed on the panel, after which the temperature is reset at the new level. “The automatic control means that we always have the right temperature in each individual room. We are pleasantly surprised by how precise Danfoss living connect® thermostats are, and how quickly they react to changes in room temperature,” explained Birgit.
When the family go on holiday, they simply give the Link panel a message that they are away, and the temperature is then reduced in all the rooms, and raised again so that it is nice and warm when the family return home.
It took just one morning to get the Køge family’s new living solution up and running. The qualified installer arrived in the morning and replaced all the radiator thermostats with the new living connect® thermostats in a smart, simple and easy-to-clean design, after which all the thermostats were connected to the central Linkcontrol and set to the desired temperatures. Three hours later, it was all working perfectly.
“We were very impressed by how pain-free the installation went, and how easy it is to operate the system every day. Its user-friendliness gets top marks. We now have one control point for all our rooms. We have underfloor heating in the basement, and this can also be operated using the Link panel. We even control our lighting via the Link panel, so the lights can be switched on and off automatically in tune with our own daily routines,” said Birgit.
Would she recommend living to others? “Yes, absolutely. I can’t think of any drawbacks, only benefits. And since our investment will pay for itself in less than three years, there is no reason to think twice about it,” concluded Birgit.
The 200 m2 house was built in 1985 on six split levels and with its own natural gas furnace. In November 2011, the family decided to install a complete Danfoss living connect® solution, comprising:
The family’s energy consumption has been reduced by considerably more than the anticipated 23%. The family has utilized the adjustment options in living connect® to the fullest, by selecting longer reduction periods than the pre-installed settings, changing their consumption habits and optimising heat consumption in general. living connect® provides its users with maximum potential to actively adjust the heating system to the family’s actual needs.
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