Conservatories are a staple feature of many homes and should be fit to use all year round. However, when it comes to the colder months, you may find that your conservatory isn’t retaining its heat like the rest of the house. Cold floors and draughts may ruin your conservatory living space during the winter, and leave it unusable for a long period of time.
If you’re noticing huge decreases in temperature in your conservatory then you may have an issue with heat retention. To keep your conservatories comfortable throughout the winter, we’ve compiled a list of heat-saving ideas to help you improve your living spaces.
Improve Glazing
Glazing in your conservatory can be a huge contributing factor to its heat retention. Whilst many modern conservatories are built with double glazing, older conservatories may still have single-paned glass. If your conservatory already has double glazing, but you’re noticing huge draughts from around the windows, it could also mean that your double glazing isn’t performing efficiently.
If this is the case you may want to consider investing in new double-glazed windows for your conservatory. Modern manufacturing techniques mean that double-glazed windows can retain the heat within your conservatory much better than older methods. For maximum efficiency and heat retention, you may also consider investing in triple glazing for your conservatory. This method of glazing creates two gas barriers between 3 panes of glass, compared to one gas barrier in double-glazed windows.*
*Whilst triple-glazing can help make your conservatory more energy efficient, most of the heat is lost through the roof of the structure. With this in mind, it is important to ensure your conservatory roof is insulated efficiently to benefit from upgrades such as triple-glazing.
Improving your glazing will help your conservatory feel warmer and cosier throughout the winter months and will help your entire home retain its heat. Now you can reap the benefits of your conservatory all year round.
Insulate your conservatory roof
There are many different roofing options for a conservatory that provide many different benefits, but also many different downfalls. Cheaper alternatives such as polycarbonate roofs can be a cost-effective option to install a conservatory from the beginning and allow plenty of natural light, but they lack many heat-retaining properties.
A glass roof can provide much more insulation than a polycarbonate roof whilst still allowing a substantial amount of natural light into the conservatory. If your conservatory roof is made from single glazing, however, you may be losing a lot of heat from your roof.
A new tiled roof is superior to glass and polycarbonate roofing. A tiled conservatory roof allows your conservatory to be used all year round thanks to its substantial heat-retaining properties. Upgrading your conservatory roof to a tiled roof will provide long-term benefits that go way beyond heat retention, including increased safety and home value.
Upgrade your flooring
Wooden and tiled flooring options are very popular for conservatories. As the transitional room between indoor and outdoor living spaces, it makes sense for conservatory owners to opt for solid, easy-to-clean flooring. However, this flooring isn’t ideal in the winter. Hard flooring retains much less heat than other materials and can leave your conservatory extremely chilly in the colder months.
Rather than replace your entire flooring, you may want to opt for a thick fabric rug during the winter. Large rugs can cover a large surface area of the conservatory floor and cover most of the walkways in the room. Not only will this help increase heat retention, but it will also prevent you and your guests from having to stand on a chilly floor.
Underfloor heating
One of the biggest advantages of modern conservatories is the opportunity to install underfloor heating. Underfloor heating will not only increase the temperature of your conservatory but also allow you to maintain it throughout the winter. It will also provide a luxurious feeling underfoot when you enter your conservatory.
Install Thermal Blinds or Curtains
Blinds and curtains add an extra barrier between your indoor space and your external living spaces. The extra barrier blinds and curtains provide will help retain heat as the materials help prevent the cold outdoor weather from entering the conservatory. Curtains and blinds can also strike an additional sense of style and personality to your conservatory.
Made-to-measure and top-quality blinds and curtains can also help unwanted draughts from entering your conservatory.
Thermal Blinds
Thermal blinds are made from specialist materials designed to prevent cold air from entering the windows and lock the heat from within the room. They come in a variety of styles and designs to personally suit your conservatory. They are also useful in the summer, as thermal blinds will prevent the warm sun from heating up the conservatory whilst preventing the cooler air from escaping the room.
Add electric heating
Not all conservatories are connected to the central heating of your main property. To save on huge construction costs, electric radiators can be installed to control the temperature of your conservatory.
Portable electric heaters are also a fantastic short-term solution, especially if your conservatory is not your primary living space. For those times you’d like to break out into the conservatory, using a portable to warm the space momentarily may be a cost-effective solution that keeps your conservatory warm when it is needed.
Prevent draughts
Draughts are a common issue with any window in the home, never mind a conservatory that’s made almost entirely of them. Instead of constantly increasing your thermostat to compensate for the increased draughts in your conservatory, there are many DIY and professional efforts you can make to draught-proof your conservatory.
Self-adhesive foam strips can be used to fill slight gaps within the window frames, and hinged-flap draught excluders can be installed on the bottom of doors. Each conservatory comes with its own draughty areas. By taking a candle and slowly moving it around the window frames and doors you will be able to identify the location of the draughts.
Conservatory options at KLG Rutland
Here at KLG Rutland, we provide a range of conservatory refurbishment options to help keep your conservatory warm contact us today. Or, better yet, visit either our Nottingham showroom or Derby showroom.