Heat an empty room to warm rest of house?

F

FamilyGuy2

Guest
Looking for some advice for an elderly couple who live in an old house with storage heaters.

The front of the house has a conservatory/sunroom that goes the width of the house. The room isn't used in the winter but they keep its storage heaters on. Apparently, an electrician told them years ago that heating the unused room would act as a buffer to "keep the cold out of the rest of the house".

Could this be true? I'm wondering if they are wasting money on keeping those heaters on. Any thoughts here?
 
It's not really necessary if their not using the area during the winter. The structure itself will act as an insulation barrier against the weather/cold without any heat.

A trickle of heat may help prevent any build up of condensation though.
 
It's not really necessary if their not using the area during the winter. The structure itself will act as an insulation barrier against the weather/cold without any heat.

A trickle of heat may help prevent any build up of condensation though.

Thanks for the reply - makes sense how you put it.
 
It also depends on which direction the house is facing. The back of our house faces north and is always colder than the front. I keep the heat on in our utility room which is off the family room/kitchen as I feel it helps boost the temperature in that area of the house.
 
It will depend greatly on the insulation between the two spaces. If they are separated by the original external walls of the building which were not changed significantly, then it should be fine.

If the insulation is poor between the spaces there will heat loss.
Leo
 
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