Arguably the room you spend the most time in during your life, getting the bedroom heating right can vastly improve your quality of life. Everyone is different, and we all have our personal comfort preferences, but get your sleeping conditions right and it ensures we start each day fully recharged.
So what do we need to think about when bedroom heating? There are many factors that influence the heating installation in a bedroom. This blog aims to shed light on things you may need to consider when you are heating your bedroom. Here is a checklist of key questions for you to consider:
The Bedroom
- How large is the room?
- How high are the ceilings?
- Where is the bedroom in the house?
- Is it upstairs, ground floor or basement?
- How many windows does the room have?
- Do you have single, double, or triple glazing?
- What space is there in the room for radiators?
- Does the room get warm enough with the current heating?
Internal Factors
- Is the floor carpeted?
- Do you have curtains?
- Are there any vents to outside?
- How many people share the room?
- What draft protection is there in the room?
- Is there a hot water cylinder in the room or next to the room?
- Is the boiler in the room?
- How important is the aesthetics of the radiator?
Efficiency Considerations
- How much are your energy bills? Click here for a comparison
- Is the house detached, semi-detached, terrace or flat?
- Any loft insulation?
- Is the room connected to any other room?
- Does any of the walls house the chimney?
- Are there any other forms of heating in the room?
- How old is the boiler?
- Are your radiators warm throughout the house?
- Are they cold at the top or the bottom?
- How old are the radiators in the house?
- Do the existing radiators have ‘fins’ at the back?
Now let’s have a look at the common types of properties we live in, to see what factors might affect the sleeping conditions.
Apartment/Flat/Studio.
Properties that fall into these categories have small spaces to heat, but this doesn’t come without its own set of issues. External influences can make managing the temperature difficult and there may be some things that could be difficult to manage.
There are numerous differences in getting the bedroom heating right when comparing a basement flat to an attic apartment. Assuming both dwellings are the same, the external influences are likely to affect the sleeping temperature considerably. This year (2019) is a good example of this: Earlier in winter, temperatures dipped as low as -8˚C at night, whereas in July, the UK day-time temperature record was broken, with night-time temperatures well above 20˚C. In a basement flat, those winter temperatures are likely to require significant heating, whereas an attic room could suffer from excessive heat in the summer. The basement accommodation will need to consider insulating the floor as well as the walls and ceiling. It could benefit from underfloor heating, with supplementary radiators in the bathroom in the form of a towel rail. A bedroom in the attic in summer need quality ventilation and insulation
Modern/Compact Properties – Low Ceilings, Better Insulation and Smaller Rooms
Space is a premium in the UK. House building has seen certain trends develop over the past 30 years. Smaller gardens mean more houses on a plot, and smaller rooms mean more bedrooms per property. Reducing the height of the houses also uses fewer materials and therefore costs less, which is why ceiling heights have dropped considerably over the century. Lower ceilings enable a room to heat quickly, using less energy. The modern construction of houses includes insulation within the wall cavity and loft insulation. This ‘blanket’ around the property reduces heat loss, so rooms can keep the heat for longer.
On paper, this would sound like the perfect scenario for getting the bedroom heating right, but this may not be best for a good night’s sleep. Air circulation is important as this removes stale air from the rooms, which is a struggle in some properties. Compact spaces can become too hot in warmer weather, leading to uncomfortable nights.
Older/Larger Properties – High Ceilings and Basements
Large older properties with spacious bedrooms and high ceilings are likely to need more heat input to create a comfortable sleeping environment. When first built, these types of properties used open fires to heat the rooms. Many owners love these character features, however, they don’t help with heating the room. Unless they have sealed the chimney, the unused fireplace will provide a cold draft into the room directly from outside. The insulation throughout the property is less efficient than modern and smaller homes. Older properties also have large windows which lose heat quicker than smaller modern equivalents.