Construction manager Holger Degen knows how to keep your apartment warm and protect yourself from mold at the same time. Five tips from the professional at the HOWOGE customer center Am Fennpfuhl.
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December 16, 2022
Car-free district with 505 apartments, 107 micro-apartments, daycare center and businesses completed in Berlin-Adlershof
Tips from a professional
Ventilate and heat properly
Keep it mediocre
This winter, the heaters produce a maximum room temperature of 20 degrees during the day - to save energy and avoid high additional payments. Only turn off your heating completely to ventilate: cold surfaces promote the formation of mold. The possible structural damage is unpleasant for everyone involved.
Avoid moisture
Mold prevention tip number 1: Check the humidity with a hygrometer. This is available cheaply at hardware stores. A humidity between 40 and 60 percent is ideal. The warmer the air is, the more moisture it absorbs. This then settles on cold surfaces - and mold can form.
Ventilate smartly
Ventilate smartly Mold prevention tip number 2: ventilate properly. It works like this: turn down the heating, open the window completely for five minutes, ideally create a draft, close the window, turn the heating back up. Five times a day would actually be good. Well, everyone should be able to do it at least once in the morning and once in the evening.
Let out CO2
Mold prevention tip number 2: ventilate properly. It works like this: turn down the heating, open the window completely for five minutes, ideally create a draft, close the window, turn the heating back up. Five times a day would actually be good. Well, everyone should be able to do it at least once in the morning and once in the evening.
Be in solidarity
Please do not act according to the motto: “The others will heat for me!” I find turning off the heating and relying on heat from neighboring apartments difficult, and not just from a social point of view. In the end it will also be more expensive for everyone.
Do you have a question for the professional?
Write to mieteinander@howoge.de.
Heating properly – saving money!
In view of the energy crisis, we not only want to be there for our tenants, but also for our environment. That's why HOWOGE has taken a number of measures to save energy sustainably. We give tips on how to heat properly and even save money.
Are you still tilting or are you already ventilating?
Especially during the heating season, everyday activities can lead to increased humidity in living spaces. This in turn leads to mold formation more quickly. Our expert reveals some tips on how this can't happen!
Better to take a warm shower than a full bath!
Are you also more of a warm-hearted person? Not so wild. You can find out how you can still save energy effectively in this video.
Tips from a professional
This way you save energy costs
Energy manager Maik Krüger from HOWOGEwärme GmbH in Karlshorst knows about the biggest energy guzzlers in the household - and knows all the tricks that can help you pay less operating costs.
Heat properly
The easiest way to save money is to turn down the heating a little. If we lower the room temperature by just 1°C, we will use around six percent less energy! Above all: Do not turn off the heating completely at night; heating it up in the morning is expensive.
Defrost the freezer
The icier the cooling elements in the freezer are, the more energy it takes to maintain the desired temperature. Defrost the device properly - then you will save 15 to 45 percent electricity.
Save hot water
Anyone who manages to save warm water - together with lowering the room temperature - achieves the greatest effect on the climate and wallet. Here are a few tricks: Turn down the temperature on the hot water device, use the energy saving mode if available, wash your hands with cold water and take a short warm shower instead of a hot bath.
Switch off sockets
Washing machines, dishwashers, televisions, PCs and game consoles consume most of the electricity at home. Even in standby mode, an average of around 500 kilowatt hours per year. This amount currently costs more than 150 euros. I recommend: Turn off the sockets when you don't need the devices. That's how I do it too - quite conveniently via remote control, by the way.
Screw in LEDs
We use ten percent of our total household electricity for lighting. Those who screw LEDs into their lamps are smart. The light-emitting diodes use around 85 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and burn for between 10,000 and 25,000 hours. LEDs are a little more expensive in the store, but you'll recoup the cost after about six months. I almost only have LEDs in my home.
Do you have a question for the professional?
Write to mieteinander@howoge.de.
Tips from a professional
I'm off
Just close the door and window, lock it and off you go? It is better to get the apartment ready for vacation before you leave. Five tips from HOWOGE caretaker Paul Weiß from Hohenschönhausen.
Electrical appliances
Unplug your electrical devices from the socket. This saves you energy – and prevents surge damage if lightning strikes the building while you are away. Attention: Leave the refrigerator and freezer unplugged!
Water
Turn off the water supply to the washing machine and dishwasher. Otherwise it could happen that the hose bursts and water leaks out. The main faucet can be found in the bathroom or kitchen. By the way: If water sits in the pipes for a long time, germs such as legionella can form in them. Therefore, when you return, let it expire for a while before using it.
contact details
Tell a neighbor that you are going on vacation and leave your contact information there. This means you can be reached if something happens in your apartment. Even better: let your caretaker know!
Garbage
Use up perishable foods such as fruits, vegetables and dairy products before your vacation or take them with you. Also, be sure to dispose of all waste.
Plants and mail
Again, water your plants adequately and ask someone to care for your flowers while you are away. They can certainly empty your mailbox and ventilate it regularly.
Do you have a question for the professional?
Write to mieteinander@howoge.de.
Tips from a professional
In new splendor
Dirk Hampsen is a HOWOGE caretaker in Alt-Lichtenberg Süd and knows how to make your home shine with home remedies such as vinegar, baking soda and toothbrushes. The professional shares with us his five best tips for spring cleaning.
Descale the faucet
This is how I remove limescale deposits on the faucet: I soak cotton wool with liquid citric acid and attach it to the sieve with a rubber band. After an hour, I scrub off the soaked lime with a toothbrush. If it is stubborn, I fill a small balloon with citric acid - and place it over the tap so that the deposits are completely wetted.
White silicone joints
I get the silicone joints white again with a slurry of baking soda and water. I apply it with an old toothbrush and rinse it off after an hour.
Clean mattresses
Mattresses are cleaned far too rarely. It's not difficult at all: I sprinkle around 200 grams of baking soda on it and let it work for a few hours. Before I go to bed at the latest, I vacuum it up again with the vacuum cleaner. Complete!
Streak-free windows
I clean windows with warm water and a dash of vinegar. I use a sponge to clean the inside from top to bottom - and the outside from left to right. This way I can immediately see which side still has plaster strips. Then I wipe everything dry with a cloth. Finally, I polish with newspaper.
Where to put bulky waste?
For me, decluttering is part of spring cleaning. I take everything that doesn't fit in the trash can to the BSR recycling center as bulky waste. I can unload up to three cubic meters there free of charge. You can find the nearest recycling center on the Internet at www.bsr.de/9370.html.
Do you have a question for the professional?
Write to mieteinander@howoge.de.
