INTERIORS & INTERIOR DESIGN
HOW DO YOU HEAT A SUN ROOM ?
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN HEATING A SUN ROOM
Sun rooms , garden rooms and conservatories all make wonderful additions to a home and really come into their own during the Summer months . To ensure these spaces stay usable for as much of the year as possible , it ' s wise to make sure the correct heating is installed . Nick Duggan , MD , at The Radiator Centre explains what to consider when planning how to heat these rooms which , with their large areas of glass , can sometimes be a challenge .
Available Wall Space : Whether a sun room , garden room or conservatory , all of these rooms by their nature are designed using a lot of glass which , whilst fantastic for letting in lots of lovely natural light , does mean wall space on which to put radiators can sometimes be lacking . There are solutions though as Nick explains , " Vertical radiators can be a good option for sun rooms as they make it possible to use what would of previously been redundant space e . g shorter than average walls , behind doors , narrow spaces between bi-folds or patio doors and walls etc . Technological advances have resulted in radiators which are smaller , yet far better at producing heat . There are plenty of vertical radiator options that will maximise the limited amount of wall available and still provide sufficient amounts of warmth ".
" We also recognise that in some circumstances , where there are significant amounts of glass , it is not possible to have radiators at all and in these circumstances trench heating installed in the floor is often a viable alternative ," continues Nick . " Trench heating is perfect for use with glass bi-fold doors or large expanses of glass as the heat coming up from the trench acts as a kind of ' air curtain '. This minimises heat loss and restricts draughts , as well as preventing window condensation ."
This is a basic calculation based on room dimensions and other factors , such as the amount of glazing , that can be used to determine how warm a room should be . Room type , size and level of insulation will all impact the style , size and finish of your ideal radiator . With sun rooms , obviously there will be more heat loss than in other rooms of the home and this will be taken into account ", advises Nick .
Efficiency : Energy efficiency is a top priority for most consumers today and there are some great models available as Nick comments , " With such a lot of the heat being lost through the glass , it is important to consider the efficiency of the radiators you install . Radiator manufacturers have taken strides to improve the efficiency of their products , and nowadays you can find something that will work in almost any situation . Radiators that have less water in them require less energy to heat up and as a result , should be cheaper to run . There are a wide range of ‘ efficiency ’ radiators designed to work in this way , with some having only 10 % of the water of a similar sized conventional radiator ".
Electric Radiators : " For those that only use their conservatory or sun room on an irregular basis during the colder months , or perhaps just want to keep any damp and mould problems at bay , an electric radiator could be the best option . Modern electric radiators comes with a whole host of controllability helping with energy consumption and more and more are now available with smart technology too , allowing the user to control the radiator from an app ", advises Nick
Design : Last but certainly not least , design and style can never be overlooked . " Today ' s designs come in an almost unlimited palette of colours and finishes , including mirrors , glass , twists of stainless steel and even pictures or photos personalised onto the heating panels . Whatever interior style you choose for your sun room , there ' s certainly plenty of choice . A popular option is to make the radiator into an interior feature , such as choosing a mirrored finish which can then reflect the garden into the room itself ", comments Nick .
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Room Size : " As with any room of the home , the key priority is making sure that you have enough heat coming into the sun room when you need it . You can estimate how much heat you need by entering some information into a simple Heat Calculator online .
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