Conservatories can be a lovely addition to the home, however they often come with issues. More often than not, homeowners find that their conservatory is too cold in the winter and unbearably hot in the summer, as well as condensation, mould, glare and fading furniture also being an issue. This is usually due to the lack of insulation in the conservatory.
Insulating a conservatory can be tricky. The very reason for a conservatory is to have the lovely big windows to let in light and give homeowners a beautiful view out so homeowners are reluctant to cover them up, understandably. But often one part of the conservatory is overlooked. It is one of the main sources of the conservatories temperature issues and can actually be resolved quite easily:
The conservatory roof.
Throughout winter the conservatory roof lets a lot of heat escape. As heat rises, a lot of the heat generated in the room through the homeowners heating, will simply rise and escape from the uninsulated conservatory roof. This heat transfer from inside to outside can leave conservatories and the adjoined rooms feeling very chilly, and increases household energy bills!
During the summer, the conservatory roof will have the opposite effect, bouncing the light and heat around the room and trapping the heat inside, creating a greenhouse effect. Conservatory roofs made from glass can become like a magnifying glass and intensify the sun’s rays, increasing the temperature as well as causing an uncomfortable glare and fading any furniture or furnishings in the conservatory.
So, to solve this issue, many homeowners may decide to replace their conservatory roof with an insulating alternative. But there are a lot of options available so which type of conservatory roof insulation is better?
Some only really help in the winter or summer and aren’t very effective at insulating year round. Other options are less effective, costly, or may be completely unfeasible depending on the existing conservatory framework.
We’ve had a look into the different types of conservatory roof insulation and the efficacy of each to help decide which conservatory roof insulation to opt for.
Insulated panels
Insulated panels, such as Green Space Uk’s Thermotec panels, are one of the most effective conservatory roof insulation options as they are designed for the very purpose of insulating the conservatory roof, they are a very effective and efficient way to insulate the conservatory roof. Their U-Value is 0.29, eight times lower than polycarbonate which is around 3.8 (4mm polycarbonate). The U-Value is a measure of the rate of heat transferred through an object. The better at insulating, the lower the amount of heat transferred through it and therefore the lower the U-Value. The U-Value can therefore be a good way to determine which conservatory roof insulation to choose.
Thermotec Insulated panels are made from thick insulation wrapped in aluminium, ensuring it’s watertight and unlikely to degrade overtime. Therefore, insulated panels are an excellent long term choice for conservatory roof insulation. They are strong and lightweight and, as they are made bespoke to slot into pre-existing framework they can usually be installed on most conservatories without issue. They are strong and so can take the weight of a person when cleaning the conservatory roof, and as they don’t degrade this strength lasts.
When deciding on which conservatory roof insulation to install, another consideration is the amount of light loss from installing the insulation. Insulating panels can come with a reflective coating underneath, allowing light to bounce around the room and keeping a light and airy feel. Alternatively, they can be made with a matte coating, making the inside of the roof more like the ceiling of any other typical room in the home with a painted ceiling, creating a cosy, warm feel. This option is also adaptable in that, not all the panels have to be replaced, so some glass panes may be retained, allowing for some light to enter through the roof, whilst also getting the benefit of the conservatory roof insulation.
Tiled roofing
Another option to look at when deciding which conservatory roof insulation to install is tiled roofing. This conservatory roof insulation normally requires the roof being replaced with a structure that the roofing tiles are then attached to. This form of conservatory roof insulation is often considered one of the more aesthetically appealing options, making the conservatory look more like an extension.
When deciding which conservatory roof insulation, a major consideration is the weight of the insulating system and whether the conservatory framework is strong enough to hold it. As one of the heavier conservatory roof insulating options available, this is normally the main issue to think about if considering tiled roofing as a conservatory roof insulating upgrade. The current frameworks age and strength will need to be assessed to ensure its suitable due to the weight of the framework required to hold the tiles, the conservatory will need to be strong enough to hold it, which may mean that for many conservatories this type of conservatory roof insulation is unfeasible.
The next consideration when looking into tiled roofing as the option for conservatory roof insulation is the U-Value. The U-Value of a building’s roof can vary anywhere from 0.10 to having no insulating properties at all, so installing a tiled insulated conservatory roof could provide good or bad conservatory insulation depending on the insulation used and how it is built.
With regards to the light loss caused by installing tiled conservatory roof insulation, it will make a considerable difference. Tiled conservatory roof insulation will essentially create a regular ceiling in the conservatory like other rooms in the home and so the light will only be coming from the windows and will not be reflected as well as with other conservatory roof insulation options. It may be possible to install a skylight, but will depend on many factors, including the weight and feasibility.
Tinted Glass or Window Film
Another option available when deciding which conservatory roof insulation to install is tinted or coloured glass or, as a cheaper alternative to replacing all of the glass, window film.
These options both provide the same benefits, which is mainly to lessen glare and fading in the conservatory. Generally, the U-Value for tinted glass is actually the same as un-tinted glass, meaning that it has no real insulating properties of its own and the insulation level will depend on how many panes of glass are used, but in the summer, it may prevent as much sunlight from coming into the conservatory and therefore lessen the greenhouse effect making it slightly cooler through the summer.
Depending on the number of panes, the weight of tinted glass may vary and can actually be a fairly heavy option for conservatory roof insulation, making it an issue in some instances when choosing which conservatory roof insulation to opt for.
On the other hand however, this option of conservatory roof insulation does maintain a good amount of light let into the conservatory, particularly in comparison to tiled roofing.
Compared to the previous conservatory roof insulation options, tinted glass or window film could be a cheaper alternative, especially window film which can be bought and installed by the homeowner, however is not as an effective insulator in terms of regulating the temperature. Likewise, glass can be noisy and, as another consideration when choosing which conservatory roof insulation to opt for, this can be an issue. Often the sounds of bad weather such as rain and hail can be amplified by the glass, and there is also the risk of damage being caused, as well as the need to regularly clean the glass and clear any leaves and debris from the roof.
Thicker Poly Carbonate
In some cases, it is possible for polycarbonate conservatory roof panels to be replaced with thicker polycarbonate panels as a way to better insulate the conservatory roof. This requires the current roof structure to be adjusted slightly by increasing the depth of the supporting struts to allow for the thicker polycarbonate panels, but that may not be possible with all conservatories so homeowners will need to check this when looking into this as an option for conservatory roof insulation.
Polycarbonate panels have a U-Value of between 3.8 and 1.4 depending on the thickness of the panels. The thicker the panel the better insulation provided; however it may not be possible to fit the polycarbonate panels into the original frame meaning that the conservatory roof needs to be changed causing a fair amount of disruption. Polycarbonate is however, can be a fairly light weight conservatory roof insulation option that may be more suitable for conservatories than tiled roofing for example.
When deciding on which conservatory roof insulation to choose, often noise is a factor, and unfortunately polycarbonate can be fairly noisy in rain and hail. Overtime polycarbonate can degrade too and so overtime damage and leaks may occur, particularly in bad weather when damage can be particularly bad.
The amount of light able to get into the conservatory through polycarbonate panels can depend on the thickness and colour of the panels, but generally some light can still get into the conservatory, keeping it relatively bright. Polycarbonate needs regular cleaning and debris will need to be cleared as it can be seen through the roof and will look unsightly if left, as well as causing potential damage and leaks, something that can be difficult to do as polycarbonate may not be strong enough to take the weight of a person and so may make it difficult to access certain places.
Overall polycarbonate is a fairly reasonable option when choosing which conservatory roof insulation, however compared to previous options, such as insulated roof panels, they do fall short in some areas.
Triple Glazing
Triple glazing is another option homeowners can look at when deciding which conservatory roof insulation they will opt for. Triple glazing has a U-Value of 1.2 so is better than polycarbonate panels, but not as good as Insulating roof panels. This option can help to reduce heat transfer, helping to regulate the temperature and reduce damp and noise, although not as well as insulated roofing panels do.
This option also allows for a lot of light to still enter the conservatory, which may be positive, although in instances where the homeowner is hoping to use the conservatory as a tv room or office, the glare may be problematic and the magnified light may cause furniture fading.
Like with regular glass panels, another set back to this conservatory roof insulation is that dirt and debris can be seen through the roof, and so will need regular cleaning to ensure it isn’t unsightly. This can be difficult to do as some parts of the conservatory roof may be hard to access.
Triple glazing will be a stronger option that single or glazed glass, reducing the risk of damage caused by bad weather, accidents and debris however it may be heavy and so this needs to be a consideration when looking into this type of conservatory roof insulation. Triple glazing may simply be able to slot into the current conservatory roof frame, but will depend on the strength of the current roof frame and will need to be assessed beforehand.
Over all, the best conservatory roof insulation is Thermotec Insulated Panels. These panels have been designed with all the conservatory roof considerations in mind: insulating properties, weight, strength, noise and light and ensure that each requirement is met. They are strong but lightweight and so withstand bad weather and accidents without being damaged. They block out noise but still reflect light around the conservatory ensuring its not too dark and, most importantly, have the best insulating abilities of all the conservatory roof insulation options, ensuring that heat transfer is minimal and better regulating the temperature all year round.
