But I digress … Back to the comfort of your home office and why it should never require swimwear, ski gear or checking the camera angle before every Zoom call.

The study is often a spare bedroom, enclosed verandah or leftover corner that was never expected to hold one person, two monitors, a printer and several hours of increasingly irritated concentration.  You sit still for long periods, which means you notice everything: the cold air around your feet, the draught across your mouse hand, the glare on the screen and the hot afternoon sun landing directly on your back sucking you into a warm void of sleepiness. 

Close the door to keep the room warm and it can become stale and stuffy. Open the door and your little blow heater starts warming the hallway, kitchen and every room between you and the front door.

The good news is that a study is usually small. That makes it one of the easiest rooms in the home to turn into an efficient comfort zone. Stop the draughts, improve the window, control the sun. Keep the fresh air under your control. Then heat or cool the room; not the entire house.

Let’s fix that.

Sit in your usual desk chair with the computer running. 

Is the desk directly beneath a window, against an external wall or beside a poorly sealed door?

Why it matters: The desk may be sitting in the least comfortable part of the room. A small change in position can move you away from cold glass, direct sun or a stream of air without costing anything.

With the window shut, can you feel air around the edges, hear rattling or see curtains moving?

Why it matters: Window gaps allow cold air in during winter and hot air in during summer. They can also carry dust, pollen, smoke and distracting outside noise straight to the place where you are trying to concentrate.

Does the area beside the window feel cold in winter even when you cannot find a draught?

Why it matters: The air may be warm, but your body still loses heat towards the colder glass. That can make the desk beside a window feel uncomfortable even when the room temperature looks perfectly respectable.

Do you find yourself squinting, shifting the screen or closing the curtains in the middle of the day that turns your workspace into a bat cave? 

Why it matters: Direct sun and bright reflections can make the screen difficult to see. Closing heavy curtains may fix the glare, but it also leaves you working in a cave with the light on at lunchtime.

Does afternoon sun hit the desk, floor or computer equipment? Does the room become much hotter than the rest of the house?

Why it matters: Sunlight passing through the glass heats the surfaces inside the room. Computers, monitors, printers and chargers add more heat, and a small study can become unpleasantly hot very quickly.

After an hour or two with the door shut, does the room feel stuffy? Do you become dull, sleepy or unusually unimpressed with everyone you work with (to be fair, that might not be an indoor air quality issue - just sayin’ - we can’t fix EVERYTHING). 😜

Why it matters: A well-draught-proofed office no longer receives a constant supply of accidental outdoor air. Without deliberate ventilation, carbon dioxide, moisture and indoor pollutants can build up, making you tired and potentially irritable (check in with your work mates). 

Do the windows fog while you are working? Is there damp around the frame, behind curtains or in the corners?  Is there mould growing on your windows??

Why it matters: Every breath adds water vapour to the air. In a closed room, that moisture can collect on cold glass and frames, increasing the risk of mould and musty air.

Can you clearly hear traffic, neighbours or everything happening elsewhere in the house?

Why it matters: Sound travels through air gaps. Draught proofing will not turn the study into a recording studio, but sealing obvious gaps can reduce some noise as well as unwanted air movement.

Does the floor beneath your desk feel cold, particularly near an external wall or window?

Why it matters: Missing underfloor insulation, gaps between floorboards and leaks around skirting boards can keep your feet cold all day. This is how perfectly reasonable people end up working in slippers designed for the Antarctic.

Is the heater or air conditioner blowing directly at you, or struggling to reach the desk at all?

Why it matters: Poorly positioned airflow creates hot heads, cold feet and arguments with the remote control. The system needs to circulate air through the room, not attack one side of your face or provide a continuous gale to the back of your head. 

Every “yes” gives you a clue.

The aim is not simply to add a larger heater. First, make the room easier to keep comfortable.

These are not complete solutions, but they can make the working day noticeably better.

When to choose it: Choose this when the study window rattles, leaks air around the edges or allows dust, smoke and insects through when closed.

What it does: Suitable window seals reduce air leakage around the moving parts and frame.  The correct product depends on whether the window is sliding, double-hung, casement or awning, and where the gap occurs.  Window draught proofing stops moving air. It does not improve the insulating performance of the glass itself.

Choose:
• Timber Double-hung/sash windows: Draught Dodgers for Double-Hung Windows
• Timber Awning windows: EMV Window Seal or Draught Dodgers for Awning Windows.
• Aluminium windows - Sliding: EMV Sliding Aluminium Window Seal.
• Sashless/Shugg - Shugg/Frameless Seals (GCE6).

 Shop All Window Seals

When to choose it: Choose this when heated or cooled air escapes around the internal door, or when outside air enters around an external study door.

What it does: Suitable door seals reduce air leakage around the sides, top and bottom.  The correct product depends on whether the door is internal or external, the floor surface and the size of the gaps.  A sealed internal door creates a more effective work zone. An external door also needs to keep the weather outside, where it belongs.

Choose: 

If Internal Door:

• If over hard floors, Internal door draught proofing kit
• If over carpet, Raven RP1 (fluffy roller) and EMV  

If External Door: 

• External Door Draught Proofing Kit - for Door bottom. sides and top  
• French Door Draught Proofing Kit 
• Cavity Sliding Door Draught Proofing Kit 

When to choose it: Choose this when direct sun creates glare on the screen or heats the desk and room, but you still want useful daylight.

What it does: Renshade reduces glare and unwanted solar heat entering through the window while allowing light into the room.  It can make the screen easier to see without forcing you to spend the working day behind closed curtains.  For severe summer sun, combine it with effective external shading.

Choose: 

• Renshade (quick, cheap, renter-friendly)

When to choose it: Choose this when working in the study feels uncomfortable near the windows, the curtains finish well above the floor, there are large gaps around the edges, or warm air disappears behind the curtains in winter.

What it does: Well-fitted window coverings help reduce the movement of room air against cold glass in winter. They also create another barrier between the room and window surfaces warmed by summer sun.

Add full-length curtains, reduce gaps at the sides and install invisible pelmets above the curtain track. A pelmet is particularly useful because it stops warm room air dropping behind the curtain, cooling against the glass and spilling back into the room.  
Bear in mind, with the curtains closed your study will be quite dark.  Whilst Renshade is not the most attractive solution, it definitely works in keeping out the summer sun and glare, while allowing natural light. 

Check the Ultimate Guide to Windows Coverings - this is everything you ever wanted to know about window coverings - and more! 

For direct summer sun, especially on west- and north-facing windows, external shading is generally more effective because it stops the sunlight before it reaches the glass.

When to choose it: Choose this when you feel air around skirting boards, floorboards, cable holes or pipe penetrations.

What it does: Correctly sealing suitable gaps reduces air entering from the subfloor, wall cavities or outside.  This can improve floor level comfort and may also reduce dust, smells and insects. 

Choose: 

• How to Seal Floorboard Gaps with Ultraclear
• Gap Filler Kit to seal trim joints where moist air sneaks behind architraves.

When to choose it: Choose this when the lounge opens into a hallway, stairwell, kitchen, dining room or unused section of the house, and your heating or cooling seems to disappear into those spaces.

What it does: Zoning reduces the amount of space your heater or air conditioner is being asked to manage. This can help the lounge reach a comfortable temperature sooner and hold it for longer.

Close and draught-proof internal doors where possible. Where there is no door, a well-fitted curtain may help slow the movement of air. Even a modest reduction in the area being conditioned can make the lounge easier and less expensive to heat or cool.