Customers’ concerns about using their Heating Garden Rooms all year round are understandable. This calls for the room to be well insulated as well as double-glazed windows and doors.
What other elements, though, should you take into account when selecting a heating option? And how can a garden room be heated most effectively?
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Heating System
Here are the factors you’ll need to consider when choosing the best heating solution for your garden room:
Has the garden room been properly insulated?
The space’s heating options are also influenced by the type and thickness of the insulation. Additionally, the energy efficiency of the building can be severely harmed by air gaps, thermal bridging, and ineffective glazing. However, heating can be entirely energy-efficient for a garden room with the right insulation and more.
How is the heating garden rooms being used?
How the garden room is used is a different consideration. If the area is primarily used as an exercise room, for example, it will need different heating than if you’re working at a desk.
How Often Will the Garden Rooms Be Used?
Will the garden room be used on a regular basis or merely on occasion? If you just sometimes use the room, you might want to think about utilising a remote control for the heating system. However, if you frequently work in the garden room, a timer might be your best bet.
What Is the Aspect of the Building?
The quantity of glazing and solar energy a space absorbs has a significant impact on the temperature within.
As we examine some of the best garden room heating alternatives, keep the answers to these questions in mind. Your responses will help you identify the ideal heating options for your room.
What Is the Optimal Temperature for Garden Rooms?
The ideal workplace temperature has been debated for hundreds of years, and there are many real-life examples of co-worker’s breaking up over disagreements.
Failure to do so could have a negative impact on productivity and have financial repercussions for organisations of all sizes.
Employers in particular should take office room temperature seriously.
Fortunately for you, if you have a home office with a garden, you can customise the ideal working temperature to suit your preferences.
The BBC reports that “around 2% of office hours in the UK are wasted by battles for climate control, costing the economy more than £13 billion each year.” I know you’re only concerned about keeping your garden office warm in the winter, but listen to what they have to say.
Keeping your workspace at the ideal temperature is essential for maximising your working day’s hours and achieving job satisfaction.
Making sure your garden office is properly heated is crucial, regardless of whether you operate an online E-commerce business or a freelance graphic design firm.
Factors Affecting Optimal Workplace Temperature
For the bulk of the people, a working temperature between 20 and 25 degrees will be ideal.
The ideal working temperature, both inside and outside of this range, depends on a variety of factors, including your genetic composition and personal preferences. Several of them are listed below:
• Gender: Because they may have slower metabolic rates than males, women are said to function better in environments that are 2-3 degrees warmer than men.
• Weight: A person’s perception of room temperatures can be influenced by their weight and body mass index. Usually, the more heated you feel, the heavier you are, and vice versa.
• Age: As you get older, you’ll be more sensitive to colder temperatures.
These are, of course, merely guidelines and might not be applicable in your case. To determine the ideal temperature for your workspace, we advise utilising trial and error.
Types of Heating Systems for the heating Garden Rooms
In this section, we’ll review the best types of heating systems for the garden room.
1. Electric Radiators
Similar to wall-mounted radiators, electric radiators also use an electric heating element. In order to increase thermal conductivity and heat retention, they are also frequently filled with a synthetic gel thermal fluid.
These heating units are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. They might take longer to heat up than other heaters, though. These systems are more expensive than other heating choices and work best for brief, irregular usage.
However, they add a fashionable touch and deliver consistent heating. There are models that come with WiFi remote controls to make operating the radiator simple.
2. Electric Convector Heaters
Another excellent heating option for the garden room is an electric convector heater, also known as a panel heater. These typically have a heating element that warms the air and are mounted to the wall. Systems for electric convector heaters could come with 24-hour timers, WiFi remote controls, and other features.
The heaters are reasonably priced and heat up rather rapidly. They are inexpensive, practical, and work best for occasional use.
Electric convector heaters can result in overly dry air and are more expensive to operate. If clothing or other combustible items are left on top of the heater, they also present a fire risk.
3. Oil-Filled Radiator
Since oil-filled radiators are often freestanding, moving them to another location is simple. Additionally, because of this, they are simpler to store throughout the summer while not in use. These appliances heat oil that has been heated by a heating element, which heats the garden room.
Oil-filled radiators are often affordable and offer even heating of the room. Additionally, they retain heat quite well. These effective heaters can be used continuously.
Oil-filled radiators are not recommended for sporadic usage, however, as they can take some time to heat up.
4. Underfloor Heating
For the garden room, underfloor heating is a particularly popular option. This heating system provides under-floor warmth gently. They typically consist of wired heating mats and are simple to install.
There are two types of underfloor heating to take into account:
• Wet: this alternative, if it can be installed, employs warm water that is circulated through pipes under the floor.
Electricity is another widely used option, however it is insufficient as a primary source of heat.
Smaller rooms are most suited for underfloor heating, which is also occasionally utilised as a backup heating source. They may also be costly to operate.
5. Air Conditioning
Few people are aware that air conditioners may also be used to heat a room. These systems are efficient in cooling or heating the garden room. They work best in garden rooms with lots of natural light during the day. In the summer, air conditioning systems help to keep the area cooler.
External refrigeration systems are not needed for today’s contemporary air conditioning systems. Additionally, they are small, quiet, and relatively cheap to operate.
However, bear in mind that some air conditioning systems necessitate routine maintenance and installation by a certified F-Gas engineer.
A year-round solution to heating and cooling a garden room can be achieved using air conditioning, despite the fact that it is controversial, especially in an eco-friendly construction form like garden rooms.
You may choose the ideal temperature for your garden room, and an air conditioning unit will keep it that way throughout the year. Air conditioning works by extracting heated air from within the structure and replacing it with cool air.
Air conditioning is a great solution for people who suffer from asthma and hay fever since it filters the air to remove pollen and pollution.
The majority of air conditioning units used in garden room designs consist of a unit mounted high on the wall that is connected to a condenser unit outside. Free standing air conditioning units are available, but they are somewhat bulky and require ducting to go out of a window. The wall construction includes the pipe that connects the two units.
Air conditioning units utilise a lot of electricity and environmentally unfriendly coolants. Doors and windows must be closed in order to maintain the efficiency of the unit, which eliminates one of the benefits of a garden room.
6. Wood Burning Stove
An elegant addition to your space, a wood burner stove blends seamlessly with the traditional, rustic interior of a log cabin or wooden garden room. Wood burning stoves quickly warm up the space and maintain the temperature for a long time. You can use a variety of fuel types, including carbon-neutral options for a more environmentally friendly way to heat your garden room, with a wood burner.
Please be aware, though, that a wood burner must be professionally installed for safety reasons, and the chimney flue can be quite pricey. For the ashes, you might occasionally need to hire a professional cleaner.
7. Solar Heat
Solar energy offers a low-maintenance, environmentally beneficial heating solution. On the roof of your garden room, place special tubes that collect water and warm it in the sun to make it operate. The tubes go to a boiler, which supplies preheated water to heat your indoor space. Although professional installation is necessary and the equipment can be expensive, it is unquestionably a wise long-term investment. Unsurprisingly, solar heating works best in direct sunlight, so we only advise installing solar panels in gardens that receive a lot of sunlight, like those that face south.
8. Bottled Gas Heating
Garden rooms without an electricity source can be heated with bottled propane gas. To connect the bottles to a fixed or free-standing gas heater, just attach them to the outside of your garden room. When purchasing a gas heater, keep in mind that it can take up a lot of space and might not complement the garden’s natural aesthetics; you might want to build an outdoor closet to conceal it. Additionally, adequate ventilation is necessary around gas heaters to avoid toxic fumes or water vapour build-up. Bottled gas heating is therefore not an option for tiny outdoor rooms.
9. Infrared Heating
Infrared heating uses energy to generate radiant heat and send heat rays directly towards people in the room, as opposed to heating the air in your garden room. To make it easier to move around, consider mounting it on an extending arm or positioning it such that it can reach you. Like the outside seating sections of many restaurants, your outdoor dining area can benefit from infrared heaters.
10. Insulation
You may conserve money and energy by keeping your heated garden rooms cool in the summer and warm in the winter with a well-insulated building design. It is essential to have double-glazed windows and draught-proof doors because they assist and stop heat loss and any cool air from entering. Some soft furnishings can also serve as additional insulation. One example is a layer of insulation provided by thermal curtains, which block out sunlight and reflect heat back out when it’s warm. Another excellent choice is heat-retaining flooring and walls, which absorb sunshine and maintain the room’s temperature naturally
11. Natural Heat
Consider your workplace location carefully, especially if your garden structure of choice has numerous windows. Dark furnishings will absorb natural light and heat, whereas south-facing windows can draw a lot of it. Since you’ll use your garden office all year long, make sure it has double glazing as well as draught-proof windows and doors.
Summing It Up
These are a few of the top options for heating garden rooms. As you read this article, keep in mind that the type of heating system you select should be determined by the responses to the queries we posed in the first part. Your responses to these questions will help you choose the optimal heating option for your space.
If you would like to find out more about our Garden Buildings then contact us or visit our range of heating Garden Rooms