How do you keep your bedroom warm without consuming too much?

When it's cold outside there is nothing like enjoying the warmth of a warm and welcoming home, and this is even more true for the bedroom. Since we spend many hours in this room without moving, it is important to our quality of rest that our bedrooms are kept at the optimal temperature whenever possible (and certainly when we are trying to get our rest and sleep).

It is possible to help keep the bedroom at an ideal temperature without necessarily having to keep the radiators on continuously and thus affect consumption too much. Here are some tips:

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• The ideal temperature for sleeping comfortably is between 16 and 19.5 degrees. So there is no need to raise the thermostat too much and exceed these temperatures, especially if you take other precautions such as those that follow below.
• Keep the shutters open during the day to let the light in but close them as soon as night falls, so you will retain more heat.
• Curtains also help keep the heat inside the room, so you should keep them closed at night.
• Be careful not to cover the radiators with the curtains, or with any type of furniture. This would be a complete waste of energy.
• As for the radiators, get into the habit of bleeding them periodically, in order to eliminate the air bubbles that make the heating system less efficient. Typically, when you hear gurgling in radiators or banging noises, it means there are air bubbles trapped in the system.
• It is also essential that windows are insulated: if you have modern and efficient windows, with double glazing, there is not much else you need to do but check for any drafts. But if the windows are thinner and older, you can help yourself in various ways. There are kits available to create a sort of double glass using plastic sheets. These affix thermal insulation panels directly on the window frame. There is a less aesthetically pleasing, but very effective remedy, which consists of making bubble wrap (the plastic with air cushions used in packaging) adhere to the window glass. Just sprinkle a little water on the glass and spread the bubble wrap over it - it will adhere like a suction cup.
• Keep doors closed at night.
• Use large rugs and carpets to cover the entire area under and around the bed.
• Use heavy blankets, or add them to the foot of the bed having them ready to use if you feel cold during the night.
• Choose thermal pajamas and maybe even wear heavy socks: perhaps they are less beautiful to look at, but sometimes they make using multiple blankets superfluous!

These are simple tricks, but by adopting all these measures you may find yourself significantly reducing the consumption of heating used for your bedroom.