What is the best heating per room in your home? Read all the recommendations per room here: bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen, toilet, attic, basement, storage room, garage and gazebo.
Contents
- Important to know in advance
- Bedroom
- Bathroom
- Living Room
- Kitchen
- Toilet
- Attic, basement, storage room
- Garage, garden house
1. Important to know in advance
1.1. Verschil tussen nieuwbouw versus renovatie
1.1.1. Verwarming bij nieuwbouw
- It is easier to choose suitable heating because you are working with new building structures and can provide what you want in them.
- You are, however, required to build near-zero energy(BEN).
- New construction usually goes for a heat pump combined with underfloor heating on the ground floor, a towel radiator in the bathroom and radiators in the rooms on the remaining floors. This heating is cost-effective when combined with solar panels, which are now also provided on new construction homes.
- Thanks to the latest insulation materials and airtight building structures, heat requirements and heat loss in new construction are significantly lower than in older homes.
1.1.2. Verwarming bij renovatie projecten
- It is more difficult to install new heating devices in existing homes because there is often limited space. For example, it is difficult to run new pipes, install new radiators in small rooms or a heat pump in the technical room.
- Older homes have higher heat requirements due to poorer insulation and airtightness. As a result, a heating system with low temperature heating (LTV) often does not heat adequately. Examples: heat pumps, underfloor heating.
1.2. Factoren die je keuze beïnvloeden
What is the best heating system for each type of room in your home depends greatly on a number of factors such as:
- The volume of the room: The larger the room, the more power you need to heat the space.
- The use of the room: Do you use the room continuously (like a living room) or rather temporarily (like a bathroom)?
- The gas sources in your home: What gas sources enter your home? Gas, electricity, heating oil, …? Do you have solar panels? And/or a heat pump?
- The cost: For example, an electric radiator is a lot cheaper and faster in purchase and installation than installing underfloor heating.
- Maintenance: Some heating appliances required regular maintenance (boilers, chimneys).
- The aesthetic: Should your heater fit into your space as part of the interior?
So be sure to get advice from a professional, because the best type of heating per room is different in every situation. In this article, however, you will find general tips and rules.
1.3. Hoeveel watt heb je nodig?
Formula to calculate the required number of watts of a room:
Power requirement = length of room (in meters) x width of room (in meters) x height of room (in meters) x 60 watts
2. Bedroom
If you also use your bedroom as a study area or home office, you need continuous heating:
- Central heating with radiators: Your central heating boiler heats water and sends it at a relatively high temperature through radiators so that they in turn heat the room. This is a suitable option for heating if you spend many hours in your bedroom. Such a central heating boiler runs on multiple energy sources such as mazout, gas and also electricity. Usually, you can control the radiators in the same room separately with a thermostat dial.
- Underfloor heating: Underfloor heating heats your floor. There are several versions, but the current most popular option is underfloor heating combined with a heat pump. The heat pump heats water and sends it through the underfloor heating system at a relatively low temperature (25-45°C). The hot pipes from the underfloor heating then warm the room. This is an energy-efficient way to heat a home, since it takes less energy to heat your home at low temperature than at high temperature (as with radiators). The downside is that underfloor heating is usually constantly on, since it heats up relatively slowly. Underfloor heating is only suitable in a well-insulated room/home.
- Infrared panel: If you have a desk in a relatively large bedroom and it’s warm enough to sleep there at night, you better heat locally above your workspace. It is cheaper to heat your study or office area than the entire room. You do this with an infrared panel. Place an infrared panel on the side next to your office chair. Make sure you choose an infrared panel with a large surface area. That way the radiation area is also larger! And be careful that there are no objects between the panel and your office chair (e.g. cabinets), as they will reflect the infrared heat away. With a low power of 400 watts, you will already feel nice and warm. Hang the infrared panel against the wall or place it freestanding on feet (this is often an option).
If you use your bedroom only for sleeping at night, then you better opt for local heating:
- Electric radiators: It makes sense not to heat your bedroom during the day when you are not there. Radiators use convection heat (warm air) and radiant heat. So your bedroom heats up quickly thanks to the pushing of warm air around, and you feel pleasant warmth when you stand or lie next to the radiator (radiant heat).
- Electric convectors: Convectors use only convection heat to heat your bedroom. This heats your bedroom very quickly, but there are some drawbacks. For example, the warm air is often dry air that will begin to sting your eyes and feel dry to your lungs. This is not unhealthy, it just doesn’t feel as nice. If your space is not well insulated, the heat will dissipate quickly and electric heating becomes relatively expensive.
- Central heating: In poorly insulated homes, it is better to use a central heating boiler in combination with radiators. This will cost you less than electric heating per room.
3. Bathroom
Usually you are in the bathroom at certain peak times and barely use it outside the “peak times.” In the morning, this is usually between 6:00am and 8:00am. In the evening, between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. For this reason, a bathroom does not always need to be heated. But your bathroom should warm up well, because standing in a cold bathroom is not a nice start to your day.
- Electric towel radiator: A towel radiator is a radiator in the form of a kind of staircase from which you can hang towels. When the towel radiator heats up, your towels are wonderfully warm when you want to use them. Do note that towel radiators often heat up slower because it usually works exclusively with radiant heat. There are towel radiators with a “blower” that also blows warm air while heating up. This way it heats your bathroom much faster. Also remember that these radiators are relatively fragile and you must install them correctly according to the instructions so that they are fire and water safe.
- Infrared panel: An infrared panel uses infrared heat to heat objects and people. Thus, the panel does not heat air. Place a panel vertically next to or behind where you usually stand in the room. The advantage of an infrared panel is that it requires very little power and still makes you feel nice and warm. An infrared panel is plug and play so only needs a plug to work. So no structural works are needed, unlike underfloor heating or central heating radiators.
4. Living Room
If you want to heat the entire room:
- Central heating with radiators: Your central heating boiler heats water and sends it at a relatively high temperature through radiators so that they in turn heat the living room. Such a central heating boiler runs on several energy sources such as mazout, gas and also electricity.
- Electric radiators or convectors: With radiators and convectors, you heat the entire room. Radiators use convection and radiant heat, while convectors use only convection heat.
- Underfloor heating: Underfloor heating heats your floor and usually works in conjunction with a heat pump. The heat pump heats water and sends it through the underfloor heating system at a relatively low temperature (25-45°C). The warm pipes of the underfloor heating then warm the room. The disadvantage is that underfloor heating is usually constantly on, since it heats up relatively slowly. Underfloor heating is only suitable in a well-insulated room/home.
If you want to heat locally:
- Electric infrared panel: Don’t sit in the living room very often? Then hang an infrared panel above the spot(s) where you sit most often. That way you save because you don’t have to heat the entire living room. An infrared panel heats a large radiant surface with little power (and thus a low consumption cost). Even though the panel has low power, you still feel wonderfully warm.
5. Kitchen
If it is an enclosed, separate kitchen, radiators, convectors and central heating are a good option. These heating options allow you to heat the entire kitchen. Nowadays, you can set heating with a clock to jump on when you are normally in the kitchen. That way you only heat the kitchen when you are there. Do you have an open kitchen in a large, open space? Then an infrared panel may be of interest. Hang an infrared panel above the workspace in the kitchen. Thanks to the panel, you feel nice and warm and don’t have to heat the entire open space. With low power, the panel heats your body well.
6. Toilet
In new construction homes, toilets are not heated, as these homes are often very well insulated and airtight. In older homes, toilet rooms are often small, cold, located on an exterior wall and equipped with one small window to ventilate the space. Here it is pleasant to install a convector. This convector heats your toilet room quickly. You only turn it on when you sit on the toilet for a longer time and turn it off again when you leave. Nowadays there are also heating devices with presence sensor, which only turn on when they detect presence.
7. Attic, basement, storage room
Do you use these rooms as bedrooms, playrooms, work areas or the like? Then use:
- radiators, convectors or central heating if you want to heat the entire room. With these heating options, you are smart if you are often present in these rooms.
- An infrared panel if you want to heat locally.
Do you use these spaces exclusively as storage areas? Then use better:
- a heating device with frost protection. This device will keep your room at a minimum temperature (about 7°C) protecting other objects and appliances in that room (e.g., freezers, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, etc.). It is not an obligation, but is a useful tip if you want to prevent frost damage.
8. Garage, gazebo
Do you use these spaces as workspaces? For example, to tinker with your bike or car:
- Then hang an infrared panel above your workspace. Thanks to an infrared panel, you heat the area under the infrared panel. In garages and garden sheds the insulation is usually relatively limited, so convection heat will disappear very quickly. With an infrared panel you have little heat loss. And with little power you heat yourself wonderfully.
Do you use these spaces exclusively as storage areas? Then use better:
- a heating device with frost protection. This device will keep your room at a minimum temperature (about 7°C) protecting other objects and appliances in that room (e.g., freezers, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, etc.). It is not an obligation, but is a useful tip if you want to prevent frost damage.
Sources: Livios, Smartheater, Vaillant
Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use:
Stiasteny, L. (2024, Nov. 19). Best heating per room in your home: explained. Apartment.com. Consulted on (date XX/XX/202X), from https://www.appartement.be/beste-verwarming-per-ruimte-in-je-woning
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