Home utilities prices are forever rising; therefore, it is no surprise that many people in Devon and Cornwall are turning to alternative solutions to make their conservatory more energy efficient. Minor home improvements can make a tremendous difference to the overall efficiency of your conservatory, ultimately saving you money in the long run.

INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS

You’ll need to have a south facing conservatory roof which is not shaded between 10 am to 4 pm each day. Solar panels can even earn you money if you sign up for a feed-in tariff with your local energy provider.

INSULATE, INSULATE, AND INSULATE

Heat always wants to escape, locating every gap, crack and opening in your conservatory. Insulating your room is essential to make it thermally efficient and avoid your heating costs from (excuse the pun) going through the roof.

A conservatory roof with us will keep you warm. Mixing the benefits of a solid and glazed roof, the LivinRoof and Ultraroof prevents warm air from escaping without the need to lose space that creates light.

LivinRoof as well as the Ultraroof include an internal insulated ceiling pelmet. This feature helps to contribute toward a real room feel that will make your conservatory feel homely.

THE IMPORTANCE OF U-VALUES

At the design and consultation stage, you’ll need to assess carefully about the materials you want to include – Glazing, Aluminium, UPVC, or HUP. Depending on the choices you make, the overall U-value of your conservatory will either increase or decrease.

Basically, a U-value measures how effective a material is at preventing heat loss. The lower the score, the more thermally efficient the product is. Several factors can affect a material’s heat retention capacity.

Double glazing has evolved a lot over the last decade. Solar reflective glass – is a case in point as it can block out as much as 83% of solar rays, whilst providing a U-value as low as 1.0 wm²k.

CONSERVATORY VENTILATION

It's easy to trancefix on the importance of warmth when considering ways to improve the performance of your conservatory, but it is as important to think about ventilation especially if you want to avoid condensation.

Ways to ventilate your conservatory:

• Include manual or automatic roof vents (ARV), ARV react to rain and temperature differentials.
• Add trickle vents to push the uplift of warm moist air, so that it can flow outside.
• Choosing sliding patio or bi-fold doors can create a wide space for air to enter through.
• Tilt and turn windows will catch side breezes other windows might miss.

Ultraframe conservatory roofs are standardly fitted with trickle vents, so you’ll detect an immediate benefit once it has been installed.

CONVERT TO ENERGY SAVING LIGHTBULBS

There is a massive range of energy efficient light bulbs available today. Okay, they do cost a bit more than regular halogen bulbs, and yes, they take a bit longer to light up properly, however they last longer, consume less electricity but will 100% reduce the cost of running your home, including your conservatory.

CREATING A SUN TRAP

Conservatories with glass roofs naturally create a sun trap, seizing heat and holding on to it long after the sun goes down. Harness this free heat by turning your conservatory into a dining area.