WATCH OUT FOR HEAT LOSS IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES
As Turkey is experiencing cold weather and precipitation coming from the Balkans and the Black Sea region, the experts reported that people preferred cheap and unhealthy methods for heating. It was stated that people used wood, coal, fuel-oil and natural gas for heating, and good insulation of the buildings was necessary for an affordable heating.
Murat Türkan, Lecturer at IUE Vocational School, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Program, stated that carbon monoxide was produced when fuels such as gas, oil, coal and wood did not burn fully and that lead to air pollution and poisoning. Türkan said, “Good quality fuels should be used in order to prevent poisoning. Coal burning stoves should be installed properly and their maintenance should be done regularly. Natural gas has a low carbon, it is efficient, environmentalist, and easy to control. It is highly recommended for heating.”
‘Good insulation for better heating’
Türkan stated that electric energy was another way used for heating but it was fairly an expensive method. Türkan said no matter what choice of heating method was preferred, buildings needed good insulation for economical use of heat energy. Türkan stated the following:
“Exterior thermal sheathing is a good method to prevent cold weather and it keeps your energy expenses at minimum. You should also make sure that windows and doors are made of insulated materials. Also, you can benefit from solar energy by keeping the curtains open on a sunny day. At night time, curtains should be closed and radiators should be not blocked with items. In addition to all these, preventive maintenance should be performed periodically.”
‘Dry air makes sick’
Room temperature and humidity played a significant role for people to feel comfortable and healthy, said Türkan and he stated extremely hot radiator dried up the air in the room, and decreased the humidity, which in turn caused dry nose and dry throat. “This causes upper respiratory infections. One way to prevent is to keep the heat on low and use humidifiers in the room. We should also keep in mind that majority of petroleum and natural gas is imported. So wasting energy for heating damages both the environment and the economy. Therefore, you should also take the energy efficiency of the heating method into consideration as well as its cost,” indicated Türkan.
