Conservatories are notorious for being too warm in the summer and too cold in the winter. Having a room in your house that isn’t usable for almost half of the year isn’t ideal! Thankfully, there are a few ways to make your conservatory a lot more temperate, regardless of the time of year.
Improve the window glazing
If your conservatory is quite old or was built on a budget, it’s possible that the glazing might not be doing a very good job of insulating. As well as keeping the warmth in during the winter, better glazing also prevents the room from absorbing as much heat in the summer.
Advances in technology have lead to glass being a much better insulator than it used to be, especially when compared to an older conservatory. As conservatories aren’t considered to be a part of the main dwelling of your house, they aren’t subject to the same building regulations. This means that a lot of conservatories, especially older ones do not require energy-efficient coated glass. Upgrading the glass in these cases will make a big difference in energy efficiency and comfort!
When you’re looking to change the glass in your conservatory, they can often be replaced for newer, more energy-efficient units quite easily. With that being said, we often advise our clients to replace their frames at the same time, especially if their conservatory is quite old, as a lot of heat can be lost through older, less efficient frames as well as the glass.
If you’re building a new conservatory, consider your window glazing carefully. Tinted glass on the roof and sides can help dramatically as can a solution like solar control glass.
Look at a roof replacement or warm roof system, such as a Guardian Warm Roof or Ultraframe Livinroof
Replacing your conservatory roof with a replacement roof is often the most effective way to improve its usability throughout the year. Traditional conservatory roofs are poorly insulated, leading to loss of heat in the winter and overheating in the summer.
To get more use out of your conservatory, a replacement roof is often the answer. There are several options in this area, which we’re happy to discuss with you, but all of them will give better you control over the room’s temperature. They will also make your conservatory a lot more energy-efficient and lead to lower heating bills.
Install some blinds or curtains
Our homes lose a lot of heat through the windows, with around 10% being lost if you have older double glazing and even more if you have single glazing. A good set of blinds or curtains can reduce this heat loss drastically.
If your conservatory is especially cold in the winter, the right curtains or blinds can help to keep warmth in and shut out potential draughts. At Infil, we offer built-in blinds which sit inside of your conservatory’s double glazing. This leads to greater energy efficiency as well as removing the need to clean your blinds regularly. Get in touch if you want to find out more about our built-in blinds!
Upgrade your flooring
The floor space in your conservatory is going to be one of the biggest reasons why it’s so cold in the winter. Simple tiled flooring won’t insulate heat very well and will lead to the room being almost unusable in the winter.
A cheaper solution is to install some carpet or wooden flooring. This will improve the insulation and lead to a warmer floor and room in the winter. If you want to make it even warmer, you can consider installing underfloor heating.
Remember that underfloor heating will be inefficient if you haven’t taken other steps to improve your conservatories insulation.
If you’re interested in underfloor heating for your conservatory, give us a call and we can talk through the different options with you.
We hope this guide has been a useful starting point for making your conservatory cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. There is no one size fits all solution, so it’s important to speak to an expert before you start work. The last thing you want is to spend time and money on something that won’t solve the problem!
At Infil, our conservatory experts are happy to take a look at your situation and advise on the best ways to improve your conservatory’s insulation. Contact us today and start making the most of your extra conservatory space!
