Keeping a cold house warm is one of life’s most significant challenges, and especially at bedtime when the central heating is timed to switch off. Your bed is always the warmest place, but it’s no good if you’re shivering under the sheets!
To keep your bedroom warm in winter, try these seven simple but effective tips – they could make a big difference and help you sleep better:
- Heat your bedroom with an electric radiator
With energy prices predicted to continue rising, reducing your dependency on central heating is crucial to saving money on your bills.
The cheapest way to heat your bedroom in winter is with an electric radiator that you plug into the wall. A typical electric radiator uses 1kW, so if your electricity costs 17p per kWh, it would only cost you 51 pence to run three hours per day.
Pictured: SWAN SH60010CN Portable Oil-Filled Radiator – Cream, Available from Curry’s Online.
- Reflect interior heat into your bedroom with energy-saving window film
33% of heat loss in insulated and uninsulated homes comes from windows; however, replacing windows can run into thousands of pounds.
Energy-saving window films are a cheaper solution, helping your bedroom retain heat by reflecting around 25% of interior heat into the room.
Pictured: Penjerex is a transparent window film that ensures insulation improvement on any window. As Penjerex keeps the heat inside during winter and outside during summer
Window films work by putting a barrier between the window glass and the air in your bedroom, so it takes longer for temperature transfer to take place. Heat is reflected into your bedroom rather than lost through the glass.
- Get a fabric headboard for your divan bed
If your divan bed has no headboard, then all you have behind you is a cold, hard wall. A headboard will give you something soft to sit up against and separate you from the wall, helping to make your bedroom feel warmer.
Fabric headboards are best for warmth, with tufted headboards our favourite – these are padded with a ‘tufted’ cover secured with a button or a knot.
Pictured: Giltedge Beds Cube Diamond Headboard – Available from Bedstar Online.
- Draught proof old sash windows (and consider retrofitting double glazing)
If you have old sash windows or live in a listed building with single glazing, draught-proofing is the best investment you can make to keep your bedroom warm.
Old single-glazed sash windows are criminal for letting heat escape. Draught-proofing will stop cold air from entering your bedroom and reduce condensation. It’ll also improve noise insulation and stop your windows from shaking in windy weather.
You can also retrofit double glazing in existing sash frames – you’ll need at least 35mm, but 38mm and up is ideal for the mortice and tenon.
- Seal your door and fit a draught excluder
Although most heat in bedrooms escapes outside, a lot of heat can also be lost to hallways if the door has poor seals and a large gap underneath the door.
Pictured: DeeToolman Draft Excluder and the Stormguard Extra Thick Weather Strip 3.5m – £5.99 from Screwfix.
The good news is you can seal up your bedroom door for less than £30. All you need is a self-adhesive door insulation strip with a thickness that fills the gap between the frame and the door. Add a draught excluder, and you’ll be good to go!
- Upgrade to thermal curtains or thermal blinds
Thermal curtains have an extra layer of insulation that traps heat, creating a warm air barrier to stop heat from escaping outside. Thermal curtains will also keep your bedroom cool in summer if you keep them closed by reflecting heat.
Pictured: Duette® Shades perfectly diffuse light and provide superb energy efficiency in your home, no matter the season. The unique design creates an insulating barrier at your windows to regulate the temperature in a room while reducing your energy costs.
If your window isn’t suitable for curtains, you can also get insulated blinds made from fabric or plastic/metal with honeycomb pockets that trap heat.
- Invest in a winter duvet to stay snug when it’s freezing!
Most people use one duvet all year, rated 7.5 to 10.5 togs. While these duvets work at a wide range of temperatures, they are not thick enough to insulate you when temperatures drop below 12°C. For this, you need a winter duvet.
Winter duvets are rated at 13.5 to 15 togs. While they take up storage space when not in use (which, admittedly, is most of the year), they are essential for cold homes.
Make sure the duvet you choose is hypoallergenic and breathable – hollowfibre filling matches both these requirements. Down duvets are eternally popular, but animal cruelty concerns mean we can’t recommend them. Microfibre fill is a synthetic alternative to down, and it offers a pretty convincing experience.
