Heating season: When should you start heating your home?

As the days get shorter, the nights longer and the temperature drops, it is time to wake the heating system from its "summer slumber". But what does that mean exactly? When does the heating season actually begin? Or does a mandatory heating requirement even exist? We explain what you should consider as the heating season starts.

What do system owners need to consider?

In principle, system owners who do not rent out living space can heat their homes whenever it is too cold, even outside the usual heating season. However, to save energy and therefore reduce heating costs, it is recommended that the Viessmann heating system is set to summer mode. This means the system only supplies the building with DHW.

An advanced Viessmann heating system can also be adjusted via a weather-compensated control system. The key role here is played by the heating curve. The set room temperature is reached when the heating curve, also known as the heating characteristic curve, has been optimally adjusted and the thermostats have been fully opened. However, it can take several days until an optimal setting is found due to the inertia of the system. Should the temperatures then drop so far that the room temperature falls below the set temperature, the heating system starts up accordingly.

Heating in spring and autumn – when should you start heating your home?

For most people, the question of when to start heating their home arises in the transitional periods of spring and autumn. This is because springtime often brings pleasantly warm days, especially if the sun shines for a long time. However, temperatures sometimes drop below freezing at night. The same applies to the autumn months. As shown, there are no laws governing when a property must be heated for tenants. There are only guidelines.

Homeowners are free to switch on their heating system in the spring and autumn whenever it is too cold. Frequently switching a system on and off (known as cycling) can reduce its efficiency. To avoid this, make sure that the heat is evenly distributed in the house and that the heating control unit is adjusted accordingly. Cycling oil and gas heating systems is circumvented, among other things, by modulating burners or by individually adjusting the heating curve (in systems with weather-compensated system controls).