The cosiest bedroom upgrades that can also lower your energy bills

Transforming your bedroom into a warmer, more inviting retreat doesn’t just have to be something you do in a cold snap. The environment you sleep in can have an impact on your sleep quality, and that may influence everything from your mood to your stress levels. As well as saving on energy bills, small changes can even boost your wellbeing.

With thoughtful insulating choices and a few low-cost tweaks, you can turn your bedroom into a cosy sanctuary for both body and mind. Here are six easy steps to get you started.

Firstly, look upwards. In most homes, the bedroom ceiling sits just below the coldest part of the house – the loft – so make sure you have enough loft insulation. It should be at least 300mm deep to prevent heat from escaping and help keep your bedroom warm.

Next, look downwards. If you have draughty wooden floorboards, invest in inexpensive thin sealing strips you can push through the gaps between planks to block out the chill. A big chunky rug can also help heat from escaping.

Finally, turn your attention to the windows. If they’re old and rattle in the wind, seal gaps with adhesive foam strips or rubber weatherstripping where the sash meets the frame. Then give them an extra boost by adding a thermal blind or extra lining under your curtains. “In an average home, around 25-30 per cent of heat is lost through windows,” notes Ana Zuravliova, trends specialist at Blinds Direct. “So this could shave around 15 per cent off your energy bills which could amount to up to £360 saved at the end of the year.”

One often overlooked way to boost bedroom warmth is by keeping your windows and blinds clean, says Zuravliova. “If glass is dirty, sunlight can't pass through to warm the space naturally during the day. In winter, that means you’re reducing free solar heat that can help maintain indoor temperatures,” she explains.

While cleaning won’t replace proper insulation or double glazing, it’s a small, low-cost habit that can make your home feel a little cosier.

Walls, especially the single-brick external walls common in period houses, are notoriously poor at retaining heat. If investing in internal wall insulation (where builders fix plasterboard onto your inside walls) isn’t an option, there are still ways to make a difference.

If your bed is next to a cold external wall, fitting an upholstered, hotel-style headboard can add an extra layer of insulation, as can wallpaper – or, more specifically, thermal wallpaper. A thick base paper with insulating backing can help reflect some heat into the room.

Decorative wall panelling can also have a similar effect. Easy to install and stylish, choose from simple “cottagecore” tongue-and-groove panels to grander panelling, which can cover a whole wall or reach the height of a dado rail.

Wood can also play a key role in making a bedroom feel cosy. While it is most often used for flooring, Ian Tomlinson, MD of Chaunceys Timber Flooring, says there’s no reason not to use planks as wall cladding too - indeed, the log cabin-style look is very much in vogue right now. “The natural grain and colour variations of timber bring a sense of organic beauty, making the space feel calm and cosy,” he adds.

If you’re watching your energy bills, many experts recommend rethinking where you place your furniture. Radiators heat rooms through convection, warming the surrounding air and allowing it to circulate, says Sam Carter, radiator expert at Appliances Direct. Large items such as beds or dressing tables placed in front of them can block this flow, trapping heat and forcing your system to work harder and potentially increasing energy bills. “Leave at least 15-30 cm – ideally 30cm – between radiators and furniture; more space is always better,” he advises.

There’s a common myth that painting radiators black will help reduce your energy use, but the truth is a little more nuanced. Jimmy Englezos, senior brand manager at Ronseal, confirms that painting them can indeed be a helpful boost, but cautions that it’s not about the colour you choose.

“The heat a radiator gives off is influenced by how reflective its surface is,” says Englezos, explaining that highly polished finishes, such as chrome or stainless steel, are less effective than matt surfaces. “Black matt is technically the most efficient because it absorbs all light wavelengths and converts them into heat, but the difference between black and other matt colours, like white, is minimal, around 1 per cent. So you don’t need to stick to black to get a performance boost.”

Englezos also stresses the importance of choosing the right paint. Products designed for metalwork can withstand the temperature changes radiators go through, whereas standard gloss paints tend to flake and peel under the heat, and regular emulsion can discolour over time.

The right sheets can make a surprising difference to how warm and comfortable your bedroom feels. Choose natural fabrics such as brushed cotton, flannel and linen, which help regulate body temperature, trapping warmth while remaining breathable.

While many people focus on thread count, it’s far from the full story. Cristiano Quieti, merchandising and marketing officer at Frette, says the real measure lies in the “three Fs”: fibre, finish, and feel. Fibre refers to longer cotton threads, which create smoother, stronger sheets, while finish describes how the fabric is treated after weaving, giving high-quality sheets their luxurious feel.

Ultimately, Quieti stresses, the best bedlinen is what feels right for you: “Some prefer to be wrapped in soft, silky sheets like cotton sateen, while others prefer crisp, airy linens like cotton percale,” she says.

The right duvet can also make a big difference to the warmth of your bedroom. Opt for one size larger than your bed frame so it drapes over the sides, helping to prevent cold air from creeping in.

While a higher tog rating might seem like the obvious choice if you’re looking for warmth, filling matters more. Synthetic materials such as polyester can cause overheating, and feathers and down are often expensive and may trigger allergies. Wool is the best all rounder: research by Bangor University shows it is not only hypoallergenic but insulates up to 30 per cent better than feather and down, and 25 per cent better than synthetics, while regulating temperature throughout the night. The same principle applies to wool-filled mattresses.

According to Octopus Energy, lowering your boiler’s flow temperature – the heat of the water leaving the boiler – is one of the simplest ways to cut energy bills. Boilers are often set too high by default, so while bedrooms may take slightly longer to warm up, well-insulated homes usually won’t notice the difference.

Another tip is to ‘zone’ your bedroom heating with smart radiator valves that turn on only when the room is in use or just before you wake. Smart thermostats and radiators controlled via phone apps make this easy, and Octopus Energy customers can even save on compatible tado° kits. The company suggests the 30-minute rule: switching the heating on 30 minutes before you need it and off 30 minutes early to make the most of residual heat.