Electricity, housing and real estate Higher electricity prices can lead to more frost damage

Do you lower the heat in the house to save money? So you are not alone. A recent survey showed that 6 out of 10 Norwegians are considering turning down the heat to reduce electricity consumption.

It shows an analysis of a recent survey by Fremtind, the insurer for SpareBank 1 and DNB.

Fremtind writes in a press release.

– It may be tempting to save a few kroner, but it can lead to very high costs later on. It’s important to get enough heat so the water in the pipes doesn’t freeze, says injury prevention specialist Therese Nielsen in Fremtend.

Last year’s cold winter caused a record number of damages and Fremtind recorded more than 1,600 water damage due to frost and cracked water pipes. The total amount of compensation for these damages was more than 46 million Norwegian kroner.

If you don’t have enough heat in wet rooms and rooms with pipes, you may run the risk of having to take on part of the bill even if it’s damaged by frost or water, says Nielsen.

– And do not forget about enough heat in the cabin, if you have it, you will probably be more exposed.

This is how much heat you should wear

To avoid frost damage, the various rooms in the house must be adequately heated. But how much heat is needed to insure yourself during the winter?

– The accommodation temperature in all rooms does not need to be 20 degrees, but there should be sufficient heat sources that can keep the rooms frost-free. A good rule of thumb is to calculate 60-70 watts per square metre, Nielsen says.

This means that if you have a room of 10 square meters, the stove should be at least 600 watts. If the room is very large, it is good to have several stoves so that the heat is well distributed in the room. In addition, all rooms where water leakage can occur should have water sensors on the floor.

If it is very cold, it can be an advantage of up to 70-85 watts per square meter.

Is your home well insulated?

The age of the house and how well it is insulated also affects heating.

– In new homes and apartment blocks with heat supply, it will be able to accommodate a little less than one watt per square meter. Older, less insulated homes will require more heating, the injury prevention officer says.

Seal strips also help save energy when firing. In addition, it prevents damage from moisture around windows.

Sealing strips around windows are a damage prevention measure that you can save money on fairly quickly, says Nielsen.

The online survey was conducted by Response Analyze on behalf of FremTend Corporation. The survey was conducted at the end of October with 1,271 respondents.