Ecology
Tepelné hospodářství Hradec Králové places great emphasis on environmental protection and ecological behaviour
of not only its company but also manufactures and suppliers of heat, the power station Opatovice, a.s.
(EOP) and other suppliers.
The manufacturer of heat EOP has installed at its source one of the best and most modern systems that
provides very high separation of pollutants from the combustion process, whether it is ash, nitrogen oxides
or sulphur. Its pollution is nowhere near comparable with low-emitting air polluters (and other gas boilers),
as they will never have that perfect air purification systems for combustion.
Tepelné hospodářství HK itself does not have the assets or management of any sources of pollution (heat
sources), the operation of the distribution network cannot pollute the environment. Accidents caused by
the operation do not constitute any serious threats for the environment - only the hot water could leak
but it is technically clean and not harmful to people's health.
A)
How to save energy
The lowering of heat is one way how to save the environment. If we follow the principles of proper heating,
we will save the environment and even quite a large amount of heat energy and financial costs. It was
calculated that a well designed isolation system and regulation of heating system can save up to 40% of
heat energy.
Isolation:
What factors affect the heat saving mostly? In the following table you can see how much energy
each system saves:
Building insulation (facade, roof) - approximately 10 - 20 %
New, well insulated windows - approximately 10 %
Radiators with thermostat valves - approximately - cca 9 % *
* - If you have a well insulated building, but you have not installed thermostat valves, you do not have
to save 30% as usually written, but much less. If you have old valves in your flat, which do not work
properly and you cannot regulate the hot water coming to your radiators, you will be probably forced to
open your windows more often and you will, as an old saying says: ''Heat God's windows''.
Ventilation:
Certainly, we should not forget correct principles of ventilation. We have to let the greatest
amount of air in the least time. It means that we open the windows wide for a short period rather than
open the windows slightly and ventilate for a long period of time.
Increase the thermal gradient:
Energy savings can be improved by using the heat carried by the medium, such as using waste heat from
radiators for under floor heating or other potentially low heating systems. The amount of thermal energy
is directly proportional to the thermal gradient at the beginning and end of the heating process. Usual
temperature of the medium, which has been used for heating, is slightly below 70 °C. So if we use this
medium for under floor heating and lower its temperature to 35 ºC, we will use more energy that would
otherwise be put back into the system.
Other ways how to save energy:
Other options how to save energy can be for example:
Shortening the nets – Heat from the radiators tends to go towards ceiling (warm air is lighter than cold)
and if you have nets to the floor, the heat cannot pass through as easily if there was not such obstacle.
So the heat does not go to the room but towards the ceiling. Thus the desired effect of comfort temperature
is not created. Therefore, choose such a length for your nets so it does not cover the radiators.
Internal insulation – Thermal foil or reflective insulation placed on the wall or floor can save you considerable
money. In a non-insulated flat, this investment is paid off in about one heating season.
Keeping humidity in the range of 50 – 65 % - It is appropriate to maintain humidity at 50 - 65% by using
water vaporizers, flowers, aquariums, etc. When the humidity is 30% and the temperature 23°C, we create
the same thermal comfort as when the temperature is 21°C and the humidity is 60%, so we saving 12 % of
heat.
Human factors – Learn how to regulate the room temperature by using valves instead of ventilation. The
human factor is the key factor in the matter of energy saving.
B/
Comparison with other heat suppliers
To compare prices of different heating fuels, a graphic chart has been created to show us how much heat
we use every winter in a family house with 15 kW heat loss and how much we have to invest, if we change
the boiler once in 20 years (depreciation). The ecological aspect of the compared methods is not taken
into account. Everyone probably knows that burning coal produces thick, pungent smoke, which is full of
ash, sulphur and other substances that go directly into the chimney. In the case of combusting light fuel
oil and gas is less of a environmental burden, but the resulting nitrogen oxides have negative impact
on human health. In the case of using electricity or heat from central heating system (CZT), the environmental
impact is minimal (power stations have very sophisticated systems for separating the ash and capturing
the harmful oxides produced during the combustion). It should be noted that using heat from our central
heating system (CZT), the property owner usually does not pay for the transmission station, but it is
paid by Tepelné hospodářství Hradec Králové, a.s.
Pro vytápění bytu počítejte zhruba se stejnými náklady na obnovu (odpisy) a s polovičními provozními náklady