Radiator in Bedrooms. Do you use them.

HappySad

We hardly if ever switch on the radiators in the bedrooms. We use the central heating downstairs in winter, but never really use it upstairs.

I’m planning DIY work in my bedroom and need to move radiator. I’m thinking of greatly reducing the size of the radiator to free up space in bedroom. Then I’m also thinking, why not remove the radiator all together. What do you think? 

Do you have heating in your bedroom? Do you use your bedroom heaters. 

Woolsery

We haven't an upstairs and it's harder to encourage heat to move sideways in a long bungalow, but it's also good to heat a little anyway to discourage mould in corners etc. People asleep in bed give off considerable amounts of water when respiring.

Also, despite all the +£%$!  about global warming, there may still be periods of intense cold in winter. Here in the sunny south, we hit minus 15c in 2009/10, so although we might use TRVs to keep a modest level of background heat (say 18c) you can bet we needed to give them full power then and during other, briefer periods of cold.

If you decide to sell, most people viewing your property will expect to see some sort of permanent heating source in bedrooms. If they don't, they may factor the omission of it into the price they wish to offer.

Bendy_House

Hi HappySad.

This has to be entirely your call.

PROS: Loss of an almost certainly ugly fixture. Allows more flexibility in positioning furniture and stuff. Um... that's it?

CONS: Loss of heat   Potential smallish issue when selling.

If you decide to remove it, then I'd suggest you store it in the garage or loft, cap the pipes off just below floorboard level, and note down - exactly - where the pipes are. Keep that info in the file marked "Stuff about our house" for the enxt owner.

If you are happy to manage without any heating in the bedroom, or find enough gets there from downstairs, then you don't need a rad. It also shouldn't lead to any risk of damp or mould as 'all' you'd need to do it keep the windows on vent setting overnight in the event of you waking up to running panes. Obviously it'll then be colder still.

If there are extreme temp drops, then you can always fit a leccy convector heater on a time switch - to come on 20 minutes before you wake up to get the chill off. That sort of stuff - very little overall cost.

I think I'd personally keep a rad in there, but perhaps make it one worth having that adds to the overall scheme - let's face it, most rads are ugly beasts. Is there a discrete location you could put a vertical column rad, for instance? Would that fit in with your design plans? Or the opposite - an old-style 'cast' rad?

100% your call! (Most folk wouldn't remove it, I'm pretty sure.)

koalakoala

Depends where you live. Certainly need it in the North East of Scotland !

MovingForwards

Rad is on the main bedroom as it's Baltic in winter, 15 minute bursts for a few hours.

If there were no rads in the bedrooms of any property I'm considering, my offer would be reduced accordingly. However, I am E.Scotland.

elsien

If I was buying a house, no radiator in the main bedroom would be an issue for me. 

I don’t use it a lot, but I only have single glazed windows so I do like it to take the edge off at times.
I have a spare room with no radiator but that has a plug in radiator because guests were complaining they were freezing and it takes up more space than one tucked  away on a walk. Plus I sling towels over it. 
My personal preference would be to keep it, with a TRV valve, although mine is off more than it’s on. 

markin

Are the rads Off or on frost, The frost setting i think would make the rads luke warm so could be helping heat up the room faster than it just coming up from the floor.

All the rads could be calculated on single glazing and 100mm of loft insulation, But that's now a good thing to run the heating at a low flow temp of 50c so the boiler is always in condensing mode? You have set it low to save money haven't you?

Change it to a smaller rad but i wouldn't get rid of it.

liberty_lily

Our house is a former mill in rural SW Wales. It has 2' thick walls, partial double glazing and a well insulated attic. We have rads throughout (all cast iron except the one in our bedroom which will be changed eventually), but we rarely have the heating on at all - unless we have guests - even in the depths of winter. 

Downstairs we have two large and very efficient woodburners (one is a multifuel, but we only ever burn wood) and we prefer cool bedrooms so just use hot water bottles, extra quilts and a couple of woolly dogs to keep warm in bed when necessary 😉😆

However, I'd be reluctant to lose a rad altogether, perhaps just swap for a smaller one as previously suggested. 

TELLIT01

We don't use the upstairs radiators much, and those in unused bedrooms are set lower using TRVs.  I wouldn't want to be without a radiator in our bedroom.

FreeBear

Definitely keep the radiator in the bedroom(s). If you have good double glazing, move the radiator to an internal wall - In a modern draught free (and well insulated) house, there is no need to put a radiator under a window and you also save a little on heat loss through an external wall.

Size the radiator appropriately for the room, and perhaps consider increasing the size in anticipation of using heat pumps.

And no, I wouldn't remove a radiator from a bedroom - Just too darn cold in the winter.

Grenage

From a reselling point of view, I doubt many people would notice the absence.

When I was selling a house some years ago, nobody mentioned that there were no doors - anywhere (I was waiting for them to arrive).