Oct 31 Heating a Bodrum Home

We commonly get asked about the best way to heat a house over winter. While there's no easy answer, here's an overview of some of the common options to heat a Bodrum villa. This is intended as a guide only, and does not cover all options, advantages or disadvantages.

Heating a Bodrum house is a very different art to heating a European house - Bodrum houses aren't insulated the same. In Europe we're used to thick cavity walls and insulation. Here you're lucky to have a painted hollow 'earthquake' brick, with a light plaster. When you put heat into a room it doesn't stick around! Because of this, conventional 'whole-house' heating methods such as central heating just don't work effectively due to their slow nature. Commonly, higher single point heat sources are used in specific family areas, these are sometimes supplemented with 'background' heating.

You'll probably look to heat a house from late November to early April, with January and February being the coldest months.

Whatever heating method(s) you choose, here are some good tips:

• Only heat the rooms which you are using - try to 'live' in as few rooms as possible, and close doors to rooms you're not using.
• Buy a heavy curtain for the stairs - you'll be amazed at the difference it makes.
• Put your feet up! Most houses have tiled floors; buy cheap rugs and good slippers!
• Wear more layers!
• Regular blankets, electric blankets and thick duvets are all easily available in the supermarkets and shops in Bodrum.
• Have several heating options available to you - especially a non-electric option in case there is a power-cut.
• Keep active; if you're cold, go for a walk in Bodrum's spectacular countryside which transforms in winter.
• As an extra step to prevent damp and mould, open doors and windows on warmer days, and leave dishes of salt in rooms to absorb excess moisture.

Commonly available heating options:

	Open Fire Energy Type: Wood Rooms Heated: 1 Advantages: Nothing beats an open fire! No initial cost if you already have a fireplace. Disadvantages: Needs a chimney, and ideally background ventilation should be provided Slow to get going Can be difficult to keep going Can be messy
	Soba Energy Type: Wood Rooms Heated: 1+ Advantages: Provides lovely natural warmth Disadvantages: Can be smoky, and smelly! Ideally background ventilation should be provided Slow to get going Can be messy
	Air Conditioning (Klima) Energy Type: Electric (typically 3KW or 10,000BTU) Rooms Heated: 1 Advantages: Your home probably already has them Provides instant warm air (and cool air in the summer) Disadvantages: Not all air-con units have a heat-pump (heater) fitted. As with all high-power electric items, ensure your house wiring is correctly earthed and that the load is within the capacity of the circuit breaker in the fuse box.
	Infra Red (e.g. "UFO") Energy Type: Electric (about 1.6KW-3KW) Rooms Heated: 1 Advantages: Cheap to buy Provides instant heat Heats you rather than the air Disadvantages: Can take up a lot of space Heat can be very directional and fierce. As with all high-power electric items, ensure your house wiring is correctly earthed and that the load is within the capacity of the circuit breaker in the fuse box.
	Panel Heater Energy Type: Electric Rooms Heated: 1 Advantages: Very energy efficient Disadvantages: Gentle heat only; needs time to work, so may not be very suited to poorly insulated houses. As with all high-power electric items, ensure your house wiring is correctly earthed and that the load is within the capacity of the circuit breaker in the fuse box.
	Oil filled radiators Energy Type: Electric Rooms Heated: 1 Advantages: Cheap to buy Good as a supplemental heater Disadvantages: Gentle heat only; needs time to work, so may not be very suited to poorly insulated houses. Slow to heat a room As with all high-power electric items, ensure your house wiring is correctly earthed and that the load is within the capacity of the circuit breaker in the fuse box.
	Fan Heater Energy Type: Electric (about 2KW) Rooms Heated: 1 Advantages: Cheap to buy Provides instant warm air Available as a small portable heater, or a wall mounted unit Good for small rooms where you need quick heat - e.g. bathrooms Disadvantages: Not very efficient As with all high-power electric items, ensure your house wiring is correctly earthed and that the load is within the capacity of the circuit breaker in the fuse box.
	Electric Fireplace Energy Type: Electric (about 2KW) Rooms Heated: 1 Advantages: Looks good Provides a nice gentle heat Disadvantages: Needs wall installation Provides gentle heat only, suitable for a smaller room As with all high-power electric items, ensure your house wiring is correctly earthed and that the load is within the capacity of the circuit breaker in the fuse box.
	Central Heating Energy Type: Electric Rooms Heated: Whole House Advantages: Provides hot water too Disadvantages: Needs space to be fitted Expensive outlay (needs radiators too) Can be expensive to run as it heats all radiators, and often will be left on 24 hours - un-insulated houses mean the heat never stays in the room
	Central Heating Energy Type: Gas Rooms Heated: Whole House Advantages: Provides hot water too Disadvantages: Needs space to be fitted Needs Gas storage space (Bodrum doesn't have piped gas) Expensive outlay (needs radiators too) Can be expensive to run as it heats all radiators, and often will be left on 24 hours - un-insulated houses mean the heat never stays in the room
	SolarVenti Energy Type: Solar (Photovoltaic) Rooms Heated: Whole House (depending on size of unit/house) Advantages: Free to run! Warming air flow can prevent damp Disadvantages: Expensive outlay Small heat increase only available when the sun shines Needs to be used in addition to other heating