Heating Differently

“We are six in the family, we have a house of 200 square meters and, at the moment, we put the central thermostat at 15°C maximum“. In the living room of Geoffrey Van Moeseke, in Louvain-la-Neuve, in central Belgium, the thermometer reads 14.5°C. Outside, the temperatures are negative. 

Despite the frost, we sees through the large windows of his living room, he assures that he does not feel the cold.For the third year in a row, the engineer applies to his home the principles of the SlowHeat project – “slow heating” – for which he is both a researcher and a guinea pig.

This research project, coordinated by the University of Louvain, involves four researchers and around twenty citizens. The idea is simple: “Heat the bodies, not the walls”. In other words, look for back-up solutions that allow local heating while spending much less energy than with central heating. 

First reflex advocated by researchers? Adapt your wardrobe! “Currently, I’m wearing a cotton sweater, quite classic, over which I have an old, fairly warm vest. Underneath, I still have two layers: a T-shirt and technical sports clothing, exterior, which really brings a quality“, he explains.

For the feet, socks and “old stuffed slippers which are extremely warm”. Second advice: favor electric radiant heaters. Geoffrey Van Moeseke owns two of them, which he lights one to two hours a day: one in the living room, the other in his eldest son’s bedroom, the coldest room in the house – the average temperature exceeds rarely 12°C. 

This radiant panel – table placed on the desk – emits powerful heat quickly. On their site, the researchers also recommend the electric heating cap whose purchase is “paid for in a month”, they assure. Facing the computer, some of them use heated mouse pads.  READ MORE...