How Does Conservatory Insulation Help in the Spring and Summer?

On hot summer days your conservatory can feel more like a greenhouse than a comfortable room to sit in and relax.

The idea of having conservatory insulation can seem absurd when spring and summer roll around – but that's simply not the case!

In this post we explore how conservatory insulation can actually keep the temperature down on those hot summer days – plus many more benefits.

1. How Insulation Really Works

   A common misconception about insulation is that it only keeps heat in. This is probably because we associate it with energy efficiency in buildings – the sorts of measures and materials we use to stay warm.

2. Combine the idea of heat conservation with a sunny July afternoon and a polycarbonate conservatory, and it’s enough to make the frostiest amongst us start sweating!

3. But in actual fact, insulation refers to materials that make it harder for heat (and sound) to transfer across them. In other words, insulation stops heat moving from a warm area to a cooler one.

4. Think of an old castle with thick walls, or an underground cellar – even on the hottest days these sorts of rooms manage to remain cool. That’s because the walls and ground insulate the interior from the outside heat.

   An Insulated Conservatory Keeps Cool in the Summer

   The same principle works with conservatory insulation. A glass or polycarbonate conservatory roof is made of materials that do the opposite of good insulation. They let the sun’s rays into the room and magnify the heat. This raises the temperature up and up – not what you want!

5. You may be familiar with this “greenhouse” effect, if you have a glass or polycarbonate conservatory roof, since it acts in exactly the same way as the roof of a greenhouse. Infrared rays from the sun penetrate right through the see-through roof, warming up the interior. Then there’s barely any difference between the level of sunlight hitting the inside of the conservatory and outside.

6. However, once the sun rays are inside, they warm up the ground, furniture and anyone who happens to be in there. Then only a fraction of the infrared is able to escape out of the conservatory roof again. Longer wavelengths reflect back off the interior of the glass roof in the room – increasing the heat inside further and further.

7. An insulated conservatory, however, creates an effective barrier between the heat outside, and you (with your glass of cold lemonade) inside. So rather than keeping your conservatory warm, on hot days insulation ensures that you can enjoy the sun without having to blast the air conditioning.

8. If direct sunlight cannot get in through the solid conservatory roof, you don’t get the greenhouse effect of heat building up. It just stays a nice, comfortable ambient temperature.

9. In addition, conservatory insulation also reduces the impact of external noise. So if there’s loud rain or rowdy neighbours next door, you’ll hardly hear them through the solid conservatory roof.

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2. Solid Conservatory Roofs Reduce Overhead Glare

If you replace your conservatory roof from glass or polycarbonate to a solid material, you’ll get more than a cool sun room.

Even in winter, sunny days can spoil your conservatory activities by shining in through the transparent roof. With a solid conservatory roof the sun can’t come in from above, so there’s none of the glare you get with polycarbonate panels.

A conservatory roof replacement with an opaque roofing material will allow you to work on your computer, watch TV or read easily, without overhead sun glare.

1. The Perfect Replacement Conservatory Roof

Conservatory insulation is essential to ensure your conservatory is the ideal temperature all year round – including in the spring and summer. However, if you’re planning to improve your conservatory this year, some insulation solutions are better than others.

A conservatory conversion with a Guardian Warm Roof provides all the benefits of a premium insulated conservatory, with a range of other advantages.

Guardian Roofs are multi-layered solid roofs, finished with full roof tiling instead of problematic glass or polycarbonate. When considering a replacement conservatory roof, it’s worth making sure the insulation is going to be sufficient to do the job. Guardian roofs have thick, effective conservatory insulation to stop any excess heat getting in.

As a complete conservatory roofing solution, the Guardian Warm Roof also has in-built ventilation. This ensures the insulation stays dry and the roof can breathe. This isn’t always the case with other forms of conservatory conversion.

Add to these benefits a range of stylish finishes, LABC pre-approval, elimination of leaks and a 20-year guarantee, and the Guardian roof is a really brilliant investment for many summers to come.

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3. Conclusion

Summertime should be when your conservatory comes into its own. Yet too many UK households tend to avoid theirs because they become stuffy and too bright, just when the days are longest and the garden is in full bloom.

We recommend replacing your conservatory roof with something that isn’t going to turn your conservatory into a sauna. In a Guardian Warm Roof fitted by Projects 4 Roofing, the conservatory insulation is part of the roof’s design. You won’t even see it beneath the beautifully tiled structure, but you’ll certainly feel the difference when you step foot in your new garden room.

Give us a call to discuss how Projects 4 Roofing can transform your conservatory this spring, and say goodbye to your overheating polycarbonate conservatory roof for good.