If your home has a conservatory, whether because you inherited it with the property or you had this extra room built yourself, you have probably long had romantic notions of regularly dining, reading or otherwise relaxing in it right through the year, with your garden making a stunning backdrop.
In practice, though, conservatories are often boiling hot in summer and freezing cold in winter, largely due to the space’s insulation. Here’s how to improve it as the year’s coldest season nears.
Upgrade the glazing
Let’s make one thing clear straight away: your conservatory, being a largely glass structure compared to the rest of the house, is bound to leak heat more heavily. Therefore, trying to retain heat in a conservatory is often an uphill battle, though improved glazing might ease your struggle.
Your conservatory is likely currently either single- or double-glazed, so you could upgrade up to triple-glazing – a potentially viable option if your glazing is currently poor, says TheGreenAge.
Try to keep draughts at bay
Naturally, wind can more easily pick up – or, at least, be more noticeable – in winter, hence why you ought to plug any holes through which draughts could enter your conservatory. Therefore, make sure its entryway is fully draught-proof and other potential draught sources are blocked off.
As the room’s glazing will remain mainly responsible for its heat loss, also consider fitting blinds or drapes ready to be closed when heat is at a premium and, therefore, should be trapped if possible.
Cover the flooring
As heat tends to rise, your conservatory’s floor could, as you set foot on it, feel even icier than what the thermometer reading indicates. However, there are ways of at least somewhat relieving this issue, like adding a rug or even carpet, both relatively cheap solutions, says This is MONEY.co.uk.
Alternatively, you could lay thick underlay – in which case, we advocate also adding a layer of sheep wool insulation for yet further warmth.
Fit a more insulating roof
If your conservatory is largely just a giant glass box right now, consider fitting a roof that, in material and look, is closer to the roofing elsewhere on your home. We particularly recommend a Guardian Warm Roof system, which the Yorkshire roofing company Findley Roofing & Building can fit.
For that roof, you can choose tiles or slates in your choice of colour and benefit from a more consistent temperature in your conservatory.
Heat the space, but only when you’re using it
While placing a heater in your conservatory is not an entirely lost cause, you should only do it after tacking the conservatory’s insulation issues, says Saga. You should also be careful to only switch on that heater when you are actually in the room, due to how quickly the heat can escape.
If you have your mind set on a heater, opt for an infrared one. This is well-suited to conservatories, as it will heat both its floor and furniture and help keep the heat around for just a little longer.
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