How to Keep Your Conservatory Warm in Winter

ENJOY A WARM CONSERVATORY IN THE WINTER

Over the years, lots of our clients with conservatories have contacted us to ask for the best way to keep their glass extensions at a comfortable temperature, particularly when the temperatures drop in winter here in the south-west of England. Conservatories and homes in general in the UK are built to keep the heat in. But in the depths of the winter months, even the most well-insulated conservatories can lose heat.

The good news is that there are plenty of measures you can take to make your conservatory more thermally efficient and pleasant to be in, even on the coldest days. So, we thought we’d put together this article to share some tips with you that will hopefully answer these common questions that we are asked:

• How can I make my conservatory warmer in the winter?
• How do I keep my conservatory from getting too cold?
• How do I stop my conservatory from freezing?
• How do you control the temperature in a conservatory?
• Do conservatory blinds or curtains keep heat in?

Heaters: Heating with radiators, floor heating & log burners

Fortunately, there are a lot of heating options for conservatories of all shapes and sizes. Central heating is probably the best heating option, but only if your budget allows it. It is relatively energy efficient, saving you money, but the radiators and pipes equally need a lot of room and wall space.

Electric radiators can work around this issue if you want radiator heating in your conservatory, but you lack the space for central heating. An electric radiator is a very convenient because it only needs a plug socket, heats up quickly, and has heating controls on the radiator itself that you can change.

A log burner is doubles as both a heat source and a stylish accessory for your conservatory. It is incredibly energy-efficient and low-cost. They provide a lot of heat and fill the space quickly.

Underfloor heating can save you money but is very costly to install because it requires replacing your flooring. It does provide a discreet heating solution because there won’t be a large heater on the wall or in sight, for that matter.

Structural: Glazing, flooring, and roofing

Conservatories are largely built of glass for the benefit of letting more light into your home. However, in winter, less light and lower temperatures have the opposite effect of what you probably want from your conservatory space.

Glazing is one route to go down if you only have single-paned glass. Without a bare minimum of double-glazing, your conservatory will be losing significant amounts of heat. By investing in thicker, double-, or triple-glazed glass, you will lose less heat, and less cold will be able to come in. This saves you money on your bills, as you will have to heat the room less.

Flooring can be critical to your conservatory’s temperature. Wooden or tiled surfaces often hold a lot less heat and act in such a way that when you step onto it, you feel cooler. This is the opposite of what many of us in the UK want in winter. Carpet can be a useful alternative as the material traps heat. But carpets need more maintenance and regular cleaning to stay fresh. A half-way meeting point between the two is a rug. A rug provides the heating benefits of a carpet in winter, and in summer, it can be quickly removed to help you stay cool.  Rugs can also add a new way to style your conservatory.

Conservatories can lose lots of heat through their roofs if they aren’t equipped properly for the cooler weather. As we know, warmer air rises. If it rises and there is a lack of sufficient insulation in your conservatory’s roof it will be lost. In winter, this can lead to higher bills as you’re more frequently replacing the heat that you lose. Here at Alan Joy Windows, our solid roof systems will give you year-round conservatory comfort. The groundbreaking Guardian Roof System is a step forward in home-improvement and eco-efficiency. The Guardian Warm Roof will bring excellent thermal efficiency to your conservatory.

Blinds and Curtains

Blinds and curtains offer a good way to trap heat in your home. They act as a physical barrier in winter to reduce the amount of heat lost through the conservatory glass. Blinds and curtains have the additional benefit of coming in various style, qualities, materials, and price ranges. This flexibility means that you’re more than likely to find the perfect set for your conservatory.

Furniture

The emptier a conservatory, the more air there is that cold air can circulate through. Furniture can hold heat, in particular sofas and fabric material furniture. Choose furniture that fits your style but also fills the space effectively. Accessories such as cushions, blankets and throws allow further heat retention and the benefit of snuggling up on a cold winter’s eve.