Hello everyone,
We have now been living in our house for six months (KfW 55 standard, although the heating demand is closer to KfW 40) and are really impressed with the indoor climate and comfort provided by the underfloor heating (operated by an air-to-water heat pump). The underfloor heating works flawlessly for us and seems well adjusted, at least the energy consumption is reasonable and the indoor temperatures are almost always comfortable. We don’t have a central or decentralized ventilation system; we ventilate traditionally by opening windows. So far, so good.
The only "problem" is the bedroom (about 17sqm (183 sq ft)): it faces northwest and is not directly heated (the flow temperature is set to zero), because even with the door closed it already gets “too warm.” The temperature in the house is around 21–22°C (70–72°F), which is our preferred indoor temperature. However, in the bedroom, we would like only 16–17°C (61–63°F), since 20°C (68°F) makes the bedding unnecessary 😀 But we simply cannot achieve this… Usually, we ventilate by opening windows crosswise for about an hour before going to bed, which lowers the temperature to around 13–14°C (55–57°F) — actually already too cold — but it quickly rises again and reaches nearly 20°C (68°F) in the morning. This causes waking up at night sweating and almost not needing the blanket. Not very restful… 🤨
Sleeping with the windows open is unfortunately not an option since we need complete darkness and absolute quiet.
How do you handle this? Is it something you just have to accept in extremely well-insulated houses, or how do you get the bedroom cooler? I can’t imagine all new-build homeowners comfortably sleeping at 20°C (68°F), as this doesn’t match the general recommendation for the [oB]optimal sleep temperature[/oB] for adults, which is between 15°C and 18°C (59–64°F).
Thanks in advance!
We have now been living in our house for six months (KfW 55 standard, although the heating demand is closer to KfW 40) and are really impressed with the indoor climate and comfort provided by the underfloor heating (operated by an air-to-water heat pump). The underfloor heating works flawlessly for us and seems well adjusted, at least the energy consumption is reasonable and the indoor temperatures are almost always comfortable. We don’t have a central or decentralized ventilation system; we ventilate traditionally by opening windows. So far, so good.
The only "problem" is the bedroom (about 17sqm (183 sq ft)): it faces northwest and is not directly heated (the flow temperature is set to zero), because even with the door closed it already gets “too warm.” The temperature in the house is around 21–22°C (70–72°F), which is our preferred indoor temperature. However, in the bedroom, we would like only 16–17°C (61–63°F), since 20°C (68°F) makes the bedding unnecessary 😀 But we simply cannot achieve this… Usually, we ventilate by opening windows crosswise for about an hour before going to bed, which lowers the temperature to around 13–14°C (55–57°F) — actually already too cold — but it quickly rises again and reaches nearly 20°C (68°F) in the morning. This causes waking up at night sweating and almost not needing the blanket. Not very restful… 🤨
Sleeping with the windows open is unfortunately not an option since we need complete darkness and absolute quiet.
How do you handle this? Is it something you just have to accept in extremely well-insulated houses, or how do you get the bedroom cooler? I can’t imagine all new-build homeowners comfortably sleeping at 20°C (68°F), as this doesn’t match the general recommendation for the [oB]optimal sleep temperature[/oB] for adults, which is between 15°C and 18°C (59–64°F).
Thanks in advance!
...but that's how it is...
Simply put, the exterior wall is better insulated than the wall to the adjacent rooms.
Therefore, if you heat the neighboring rooms to 22°C (72°F), they will warm your bedroom. The heat transfer from the adjacent rooms to the bedroom is greater than the heat transfer from the bedroom through the exterior walls to the outside.
You have no chance unless you insulate the interior walls.
Simply put, the exterior wall is better insulated than the wall to the adjacent rooms.
Therefore, if you heat the neighboring rooms to 22°C (72°F), they will warm your bedroom. The heat transfer from the adjacent rooms to the bedroom is greater than the heat transfer from the bedroom through the exterior walls to the outside.
You have no chance unless you insulate the interior walls.
N
nordanney15 Jan 2021 13:52Mbk84 schrieb:
How do you handle this? Do you just have to accept it in extremely well-insulated houses, or how do you get the bedroom cooler? I can’t imagine that all new homeowners sleep well at 20 degrees, which doesn’t fit at all with the general recommendation for the optimal sleeping temperature for adults being between 15°C and 18°C (59°F and 64°F).1. You can sleep very well even at 20 degrees (68°F) – this is close to optimal (although it depends on the individual).
2. It only gets cooler if you leave the windows open.
3. If you wake up sweating at night, it is not due to the room temperature, but because your bedding or sleepwear isn’t matched to the room temperature. For example, switch to a light summer duvet.
For example, I have been sleeping comfortably at these temperatures for many years without sweating – even on a 30-degree (86°F) waterbed! But then I don’t wear flannel pajamas or use a down duvet. Fresh air also feels more comfortable than stale air.
If you adapt to the temperature, you won’t have any sleep problems at 20 degrees (68°F).
Oh dear, I already feel sorry for you and what you will experience during the summer months.
An air conditioning system is strongly recommended.
And you are right about that. It is just a general recommendation.
I also can’t imagine it. Most people actually have it warmer. It’s just that hardly anyone notices because very few have thermometers in their sleeping areas.
15-18 degrees—brrr.
An air conditioning system is strongly recommended.
Mbk84 schrieb:
I can’t imagine that all new homeowners sleep well at 20 degrees; that doesn’t align with the general recommendation of an “optimal sleeping temperature for adults between 15°C and 18°C”
And you are right about that. It is just a general recommendation.
I also can’t imagine it. Most people actually have it warmer. It’s just that hardly anyone notices because very few have thermometers in their sleeping areas.
15-18 degrees—brrr.
face26 schrieb:
Simply put, the exterior wall is better insulated than the wall to the adjacent rooms.
So, when you heat the rooms next door to 22°C (72°F), they in turn warm your bedroom. The heat transfer from the adjoining rooms to the bedroom is greater than the heat transfer from the bedroom through the exterior walls to the outside. Thank you for the clear comparison, that makes sense 🙂
Mycraft schrieb:
Oh dear, I already feel for you and what you will experience during the summer months.
An air conditioner is strongly recommended. Haha, yes, exactly because we prefer to sleep cooler, we actually have one installed in the bedroom for that reason. It’s kind of funny that on one side of the house the air-to-water heat pump is running to keep it warm, while on the other side the air conditioning is running at the same time to cool it down 🤨
Maybe I’m just used to it differently from the rental apartment, but I’m already sleeping with a summer duvet and T-shirt/shorts because the temperature is approaching 20°C (68°F)... Yet there’s hardly anything better than being tucked in under a thick down comforter at 16–17°C (61–63°F) ;-)
So, it’s either windows open or sweating. What do you think about these inverters, like a decentralized ventilation system just for the bedroom? Does that make sense to cool the room down somewhat without opening windows?
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