Marie-Louise sent us a message via the orange Alert us button. She received a bill for 221€ for heating and yet she never turned on her radiators all year round, even in winter. She feels like she’s been robbed, and wonders how to reduce her energy bill next winter. The explanation is that the calorimeter system is not entirely precise.
Calorimeters are installed on all Marie-Louise radiators. It is one of the oldest systems and it causes problems for this Brussels resident. She assures us, she never turns on her heaters.
“I don’t need it, I can’t stand the heat. I like it when it’s cool, even cold”confides this resident of Molenbeek.
However, Marie-Louise was surprised to receive a letter indicating that she will have to pay for heating from a supplier.
“I have to pay 221 euros even though I don’t open any radiators”, she adds. The cause of his bills, the calorimeters. Their operation is simple, when the device feels heat, a liquid evaporates, which in theory makes it possible to calculate the consumption of each household. “It evaporates on its own, and I don’t find that normal. I’m paying for something that I don’t use”says Marie-Louise. “How to reduce an invoice which is billed when I do not consume anything?”, she wonders.
On the other hand, Marie-Louise takes advantage of the heat from the pipes that go up to her neighbors and bring heat to her apartment. Waste heat that costs him money. “In a way, it pays for the heat received free of charge from its neighbours. These calorimeter systems consider that everyone consumes the same way. Depending on the size of the property, the heat is distributed more or less. Here , as it had a completely different use from the others, it is true that the system is not totally coherent”, explains Fransisco Contino, professor specializing in energy at UCLouvain.
This specialist believes that this system is outdated because it is less precise. From now on, in the new dwellings, one uses the meters of passage, one measures the flow of water and the temperature. “Combined, it gives us information on the amount of energy that is passing through a house. It will be much more precise than a calorimeter”indique Francisco Contino.
Calorimeters only provide an estimate of consumption. The consumer defense association receives around a hundred complaints each year. If your bill changes, it’s important to check.
“You have to ask yourself the question ‘Have my consumption habits changed?’ This may explain an increase in costs. If there is no objective explanation, then it is really worth the worth contacting the trustee of the building to call the company that installed these calorimeters to check that they are functioning correctly”, says Julie Frère, the spokesperson for Test Achats.
Installation of calorimeters is easier in older buildings. Replacing them with another system is sometimes even impossible.