Outside rooms are fantastic spaces, ideal for all the family to use at every opportunity. However, whether you have a summerhouse, outside office or studio, you will want to keep it habitable throughout the year, which means providing some sort of heating during the colder months.
But which type of heating is best for garden rooms? Here is a rough guide to five of the most common ways you can heat your outside living space:
Underfloor Heating
A great choice for those wanting to keep their garden rooms nice and toasty even in the coldest of spells, underfloor heating has the advantage of not taking up any of your valuable room space. It will be most effective on floors which are good at retaining the heat, such as tiles or concrete, but may not be very efficient teamed with other types of flooring. It is relatively expensive to install, and any maintenance requires the flooring to be lifted.
Electric Radiators
Just like your central heating in the main house, electric radiators are wall-mounted and come in a variety of styles to suit all tastes. Running on electricity (hence the name), they are relatively cheap to use but can be slow to heat up. Safe to use in workshops (because they dont have any exposed heating elements), they can be regulated and controlled so you achieve the optimum temperature.
Convection Heaters
A very common option, electric convention heaters can be wall-mounted or freestanding. They heat up quickly so are ideal for all types of office or workshop, and they can come with temperature controls and timers, so you can make sure your room is warm when you need it to be.
If youre looking for inspiration, visit a specialist such as http://www.gardenspaces.co.uk/ for some ideas.
Wood-Burners
Probably the most stylish option available, wood-burners look fantastic, especially in a traditional-style garden room. They heat up fast and are one of the greenest options. According to the Forestry Commission, using wood for heating reduces carbon emissions by 90-95% compared to using fossil fuels.
However, dont forget they will need a flue and have to be professionally installed.
Oil-Filled Radiators
These freestanding heaters are cheap to buy, easy to install and retain heat for a long time, so are relatively inexpensive to run. However, the choice of styles is often limited.
