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The satirical writer Julio Camba tells that there was a time when Madrid was the coldest city in Europe. While the citizens of London, Paris and Berlin were enjoying their heating, many Madrid dwellers didn�t have enough money to buy coal to feed their stoves. Nowadays things have changed and, although 7% of Spaniards still don�t have heating, most of us can be warm indoors even when outside the thermometers are reading below zero. Without a doubt, the introduction of heating in our homes has given a boost to our quality of life. But this gain has its price, and not just an economic one: the impact on the environment (greenhouse effect, acid rain and air pollution) caused by carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.

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Fortunately, coal burning stoves which are forebears envied so much are now becoming a thing of the past, though 7% of heating systems in Spain still burn coal. They are no longer installed and those that still exist are gradually being replaced. Because besides being one of the least efficient fossil fuels, it is also one of the most polluting, as it contains large quantities of carbon and sulphur, which ends up as CO2 -contributing to the greenhouse effect- and SO2, a highly polluting gas which produces acid rain.

Electric heating systems, which make up 11% of the total are very expensive.

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Fuel oil is becoming less and less polluting: its sulphur content has been reduced to minimal amounts; one example is Repsol-Energy gas oil which only contains 0.15%, even less than the 0.2% legally permitted. Also fuel oil nowadays has a higher calorific value (6%) and works better at low temperatures (11 degrees below zero). This heating method is best for individual houses or large homes, because, apart from the boiler and radiators, you need to have a tank and a chimney installed.

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Then there are installations for butane and propane, which are liquid gases derived from oil (LPG); these cause very little air pollution too. Butane is supplied in different gas tanks, among which is the traditional 13 kg capacity one, which has even given its name to a colour (orange in case you didn�t know). Butane is the only energy source, apart from electricity, in countless Spanish homes. Propane is less popular, in spite of its better performance over butane in domestic uses when a higher consumption is needed (cooker, hot water, heating); and it also withstands very low temperatures well if the gas bottles have to be out in the open. Nowadays these three systems, which get their calorific energy from oil products, account for more than 30% of all consumption for heating (slightly over 20% for fuel oil and 11% for LPG).

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Staying with traditional energy sources, another option is, natural gas, which emits ten times less nitrogen oxides and half the CO2 of an electric system, and hardly produces any SO2. But although it�s on the increase, at present natural gas only fuels 6% of all heating systems.

As for other fuels, you can choose between biomass burning stoves, which work with pellets coming from tree waste products, either from forestry maintenance or the wood industry, and installing a system powered by photovoltaic solar energy, although it has to be said that the contribution of these renewable energy sources to heating systems is still very low.

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Regardless of the fuel you choose, the IDAE recommends collective heating systems, but with individualised billing. These allow you to cut down on consumption compared with individual boilers since buying fuel in bulk is usually cheaper. It also encourages and aids saving since each user only pays for what they consume, which solves the main problem of the old communal heating systems.

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SOME ENERGY SAVING TIPS FROM IDAE
� Insulation of external walls, windows and doors is our main ally. A well insulated home can make savings of between 30 and 50% in heating bills. Just by fitting draught excluders to doors and windows, heat loss can be reduced by 10%.
� Don�t forget that 40% of heat escapes through windows and glass. If you install double windows you�ll make energy savings of 20%. Even more efficient is double glazing with an air space in between each pane of glass, commonly known here by the trademark Climalit, which prevents up to 40% of heat loss.
� The ideal temperature for inside a house is between 20� and 23� C, so don�t overdo the heating: being at home in shirt sleeves in the middle of winter means you�re wasting energy. For every degree you raise your indoor temperature by, your heating system will consume between 5% and 7% more energy.
� While children and old people may need to be a little warmer, a temperature of between 15�C and 17�C should be enough to sleep with. Turn off the heating at night, better still, an hour before you got to bed, and don�t turn it on again in the morning until the house is aired and the windows closed again. And while on the subject,10 minutes is plenty of time to give a room a good airing.
� If you have communal heating, rather than opening the windows when it gets too hot, it�s better to turn the radiators off. You should turn off the ones you don�t need to keep the house comfortably warm anyway, and turn off the whole system if the house is going to be empty for more than one day.
� Install thermostats on the radiators or a regulator for the boiler. They are easy to fit (a heating plumber can do it) and you�ll soon get your investment back in smaller heating bills.
� And help the heat come in and move around. Open blinds and curtains to take advantage of the natural heat from the sunlight and don�t cover radiators with curtains, furniture etc.

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