Heating: the role of consumers between environmental responsibility, savings and efficiency

When it comes to environmental sustainability, we always move on a double track that involves on the one hand the global political choices made at national and supranational level, on the other the choices that every single consumer is called to implement in his daily life, when he has to decide which product or technology to buy, or how to change his behavior in order to reduce his impact on the environment.

Keeping these two aspects together is not always easy, and it is indeed common for people to experience feelings of discomfort due to the (false) perception that their small actions are unable to have a real impact on the world around them.

Saving energy, avoiding waste, choosing products from responsible supply chains, investing in goods that make it possible to reduce consumption, differentiate and dispose of products correctly is really important, in a global context in which energy consumption is enormous and the impact of the single seems to be infinitesimal? The answer, of course, is yes: each of us is required to commit to reducing their impact on the environment and to make truly responsible purchasing choices.

Consumption choices and emission reduction

"Guaranteeing sustainable production and consumption models" is one of the Global Goals set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the inclusion of this goal among the goals to be achieved clearly demonstrates how production and purchase can play a central role in increasing the sustainability of our production system and in reducing our environmental impact, in particular for what is inherent in energy consumption.

The United Nations Global Goals are - it is important to remember - objectives that involve every single citizen of the planet: no one should be excluded from making his contribution to achieving them, since everyone will benefit from their achievement. Precisely for this reason, if it is true that companies are called to assume the responsibility of producing responsibly, consumers are also required to make reasoned purchase choices, taking into account many different aspects that can direct them towards products with less environmental impact.

It is important, for example, to favor producers who actually work to:

• reduce emissions during the production of goods;
• use recycled materials and encourage recovery and reuse, in a circular economy perspective;
• reduce packaging;
• reduce the environmental impact associated with the transport of goods;
• facilitate the disposal of the product at the end of its life cycle.

These elements can guide us in choosing the best products from an environmental point of view, and concern any type of object. However, in the event that you go to buy a large appliance or a system for heating or cooling, it is also important to ask yourself a series of further questions, necessary to determine which product is the most efficient in relation to our needs. In fact, it is important to choose not only the least polluting product, but also the one that allows us to save energy and its performance is in line with our needs. Finding the balance between all these elements may not be easy, but it is essential to make truly responsible purchasing choices, capable of guaranteeing concrete energy savings and therefore of bringing benefits to both the individual consumer and the planet.

The choice of the most convenient heating system for us and for the environment

Orienting ourselves towards the most suitable heating system for us requires taking into consideration a long series of elements: our consumption habits, the location and structure of our home, the presence of other accessories that favor energy saving and so on.

Furthermore, nowadays it is more than ever necessary to try to have a broader look and also think about the protection of the environment, the reduction of consumption, the climate neutrality that we want to achieve by 2050, the energy transition of which we should all be to know and support, also and above all in our daily buying gestures.

The main options we can choose from are:

• Condensing boilers: this type of boiler, although fueled with fossil fuels, is more efficient than a traditional gas boiler, because the thermal energy contained in the combustible gases is not dispersed into the environment through the flue, but is partly recovered thanks to the condensation of combustion fumes and then reused. In this way, consumption is reduced, emissions into the atmosphere are limited and savings are made.
• Biomass boilers: these boilers, as their name implies, do not burn fossil fuels but renewable vegetable fuels (such as pellets or wood). A boiler of this type has quite high operating costs (subject, among other things, to the fluctuation of the fuel price), but its CO₂ emissions are effectively reduced.
• Heat pumps: the heat pump system is based on the use of energy that is extracted from water, air or ground heat to be transferred inside the building to be heated. A heat pump is able to absorb much of the energy it needs from the environment to operate, so that only the remaining amount of energy must be supplied by gas or electricity. A heat pump such as those proposed by Robur, powered by gas and renewable energy, emits very limited quantities of CO₂ into the atmosphere and guarantees high performance even in unfavorable weather conditions, allowing you to save up to 50% on heating costs, if your performances are compared with those of a traditional boiler. The benefits of a heating system of this type, therefore, fall both on the consumer and on the environment, because at the same time they guarantee better performance and less air pollution.

Choosing a heating system capable of reducing air pollution and CO₂ emissions means making a conscious and responsible choice towards the environment, and at the same time convenient for oneself, since lower consumption corresponds to lower expenditure for energy.

In a context such as the one we live in today, in which the problems connected with the supply of energy are enormous and the need to reduce consumption becomes increasingly pressing, it is essential that all consumers are aware of the importance of their choices, and rely on competent and reliable partners able to indicate the most convenient solutions for them and for the environment.