Munich Building Centre offers free talks on heat pumps and preventing mould

The Bauzentrum München, the city's building centre, is holding two free events on home heating: a talk on fossil-free heating in older buildings at the MVHS Nord adult education centre in Moosach, and an online information evening on preventing mould.

The talk, "Fossil-free heating in older buildings too: heat pumps and photovoltaics", takes place on Monday 19 October at 6.30pm at Baubergerstraße 6a and is run jointly with the Münchner Volkshochschule (MVHS), Munich's adult education centre. Registration is required at https://t1p.de/9ix8m, and details on how to register are available at mvhs.de/anmeldung-beratung.

Heat pumps are a practical alternative to gas and oil heating in both new and existing buildings, and many homeowners would like to power them with solar panels on their own roofs. Energy adviser Rolf Kersten will explain to what extent existing radiators can still be used, what options there are for hot water, and how solar power can best be used to run a heat pump.

The online information evening, "Preventing mould – even when room temperatures are lowered in autumn and winter", begins at 6pm on Tuesday 20 October. Taking part is free, but registration is required at https://t1p.de/kocqq.

Mould can form quickly when rooms are kept cooler in autumn and winter, because heating and ventilation are physically linked and both affect its growth. The cost of the repairs that may then be needed can outweigh the savings made on heating bills. Biologist Pamela Jentner will explain which preventive steps, such as airing rooms properly, help to avoid mould problems, and what can be done once mould has already appeared.

More information about the Bauzentrum is available at muenchen.de/bauzentrum, and about its events at veranstaltungen.muenchen.de/bauzentrum.