A curious bedtime habit is quietly changing both across Britain.
Across many homes, families now sync their evening wind‑down with a small heating adjustment that runs on autopilot. The approach blends a familiar night routine with timed controls so you sleep cooler, wake warmer, and spend less without fiddling with dials at midnight.
What sits behind the ‘grandma at 9pm’ routine
Sleep science and energy maths point in the same direction. Most people fall asleep faster and rest better in a cooler bedroom than in a toasty living room. Lowering the night temperature also trims fuel use because your system does less work while you sleep. A modest change adds up across a whole winter.
Rule of thumb: dropping the setpoint by 1 °C can shave roughly 7% off heating use. Smart scheduling often lands between 10% and 25% savings, with many households reporting about 23% on winter bills.
The habit itself is simple. In the early evening, you unwind as normal — a book, a warm shower, even a cup of chamomile. In the background, automation nudges your home from day mode to night mode. You stop thinking about thermostats. The system quietly does the rest.
How to automate your night‑time heat without fuss
You can start with a basic kit and scale up later. The goal is a cool, steady bedroom, a gentle morning warm‑up, and zero manual effort after lights‑out.
- Use a smart plug with a compatible electric radiator or panel heater in the bedroom.
- Set it to switch on around 21:30 and off about 06:30, so the room reaches target before bedtime and drifts cooler before dawn.
- Choose a bedroom night setpoint of 16–17 °C to favour sleep while avoiding a chill.
- Test the schedule once in the evening to confirm the timing and check the device load rating.
- No smart plug? A mechanical timer can handle on–off windows, though with less granular control.
Set and forget: pair a 21:30 start, a 06:30 stop, and a 16–17 °C bedroom target for comfort and reliable savings.
Smart plug or thermostat — which suits you
A smart plug works well for a single electric radiator or a small bedroom zone. A connected thermostat or zoned heating controller goes further. It can lower the whole home at night, then pre‑warm living areas before you wake, while keeping the bedroom slightly cooler. Both options create the same backbone: automate the setback so you never miss a night.
Cut or lower at night: what works in your home
Not all homes behave the same when temperatures drop. Insulation level, system type, and thermal mass change the best approach. Use this quick guide to steer your settings.
| Home type | Night strategy | Morning plan | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Well‑insulated, modern | Lower by 2–3 °C | Pre‑heat 60–90 minutes before wake‑up | Holds heat well, deep cuts not needed |
| Older, draught‑prone | Lower rather than fully off | Gentle relaunch 1–2 hours before wake‑up | Avoid heavy off/on swings to limit morning spikes |
| Heat pump | Small setback, 1–2 °C | Smooth ramp with weather compensation | Large setbacks dent efficiency |
| Gas boiler (condensing) | Lower setpoint; keep low flow temps | Timed boost, not a blast | Steady, cooler operation aids condensing |
Safety and small details most people forget
- Match the heater’s wattage to the smart plug’s maximum load. Avoid multi‑plugs and extension leads for heaters.
- Keep heaters clear of curtains, bedding, and furniture. Leave space for airflow.
- Close curtains and shutters at dusk to cut losses. Fit draught excluders on leaky doors and letterboxes.
- Ventilate briefly in the morning to manage humidity without dumping too much heat.
- Use “Eco” overnight and “Comfort” by day if your radiators provide those modes.
What a typical evening looks like
Here’s a timeline many households find easy to adopt. It blends a simple night ritual with a predictable temperature curve.
- 20:45 – Shut curtains, close internal doors, and check that vents aren’t blocked.
- 21:00 – Start winding down: dim lights, put the kettle on, turn off bright screens.
- 21:15 – The system begins a slow ramp so the bedroom glides toward 16–17 °C.
- 21:30 – Bedtime drink, reading, or stretching. Heating schedule takes over; you stop thinking about it.
- 06:00 – Living areas start a gentle pre‑heat so kitchens and lounges hit 19–20 °C by breakfast.
Synchronise the body and the building: as you relax for sleep, the room quietly settles into its cooler, steady night mode.
Will it work with different systems and tariffs
Electric radiators pair cleanly with smart plugs. Night storage heaters need their own timers and tariff‑linked charging, so stick with the built‑in controls and focus on bedroom ventilation and heavy curtains to hold night warmth. With heat pumps, keep setbacks shallow; a two‑degree drop typically balances comfort and efficiency. For gas boilers, aim for lower flow temperatures and a mild morning ramp to encourage condensing.
If you use time‑of‑use tariffs, shift pre‑heat windows into cheaper bands where practical. A small pre‑warm before a peak period can reduce run time while maintaining comfort. The same logic applies to smart hot‑water schedules.
How the savings stack up for a typical bill
Numbers help you decide. Suppose your combined winter heating spend lands near £1,200. A 23% reduction means roughly £276 saved over the cold months. Shade that figure for your home:
- 1 °C setback often maps to about 7% less energy; a 2 °C drop sits near 14%.
- Insulation, airtightness, and system type can push results toward 10–25%.
- Closing curtains at dusk typically trims heat loss by 10–15% through windows, which supports the setback effect.
Troubleshooting and fine‑tuning in week one
Give the routine a week, then tweak. If you wake up chilly, bring the morning pre‑heat forward by 30 minutes. If the bedroom feels stuffy, lower the setpoint by 1 °C and add a short morning vent. If bills barely move, check for draughts beneath doors, around loft hatches, or at cable penetrations. Simple foam strips and door brushes cost little and seal well.
Who benefits most — and what to add next
Large, leaky homes and households with irregular bedtimes see the biggest gain from automation because it removes human error. Shift workers can set multiple night windows per week. Parents can keep children’s rooms slightly warmer with a separate schedule. Pet owners often prefer a softer setback in rooms where animals sleep.
Once the night routine runs smoothly, consider a zoned thermostat, thermostatic radiator valves, or a weather‑compensated controller. These upgrades refine control across rooms and weather conditions, reducing overshoot and cutting burner or compressor run time. Pair them with thick curtains, a draught‑proofed front door, and a letterbox cage for quieter nights and steadier temperatures.
