What Can You Do About a Freezing Cold Conservatory?
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- Опубліковано 13 лис 2023
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With their large expanses of glass, Conservatories are often subject to significant temperature fluctuations.
During the winter, they can become freezing due to several factors. Primarily, glass is a poor insulator compared to traditional building materials like brick or wood.
Heat quickly escapes through the glass, especially if it's single-glazed, leading to a chilly interior.
Additionally, a conservatory's lack of thermal mass means nothing to store and gradually release heat within the space.
To combat the cold, there are several effective strategies. Upgrading to double or triple-glazed windows can significantly improve insulation, reducing heat loss.
These types of glazing trap air or inert gas between the layers of glass, providing an insulating barrier.
When temperatures drop, thermal blinds or heavy curtains also help retain heat in the evenings.
Underfloor heating is another popular solution. It distributes heat evenly throughout the space and efficiently maintains a consistent temperature.
Alternatively, installing radiators or a heat pump can effectively warm the area, though these might require additional plumbing or electrical work.
Insulating the roof is also crucial, as a considerable amount of heat can be lost through an uninsulated conservatory roof.
Using insulating materials or installing a solid, tiled roof can make a dramatic difference.
Finally, conservatory design plays a role in temperature control. Ensuring proper ventilation to reduce dampness and condensation in winter is essential, while considering the orientation of the conservatory can maximize sunlight exposure, naturally warming the space.
In summary, while conservatories are prone to becoming cold due to their design and materials, various methods exist to improve their warmth, ranging from glazing upgrades to heating solutions and insulation techniques.
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#conservatory #heating #homeheating
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I had my roof converted the same as the photo with 100mm PIR plus the same in the floor. In addition I blanked in one wall (next to fence) with insulation and plasterboard. It is now much warmer and we make better use of.
I'm thinking of doing the same. Do you have any problems with condensation on the inside of the windows that are blocked off?
I found that a lot of the problems with double glazed windows, at least in my experience, is that there's typically a 3-5mm gap between the glass and it's frame.
What's the point in having double glazed windows and almost-airtight frames if there's a fairly large gap right around the edge of the glass for any heat to escape around?
I popped each window trim off and carefully slid some of that superfoil-type bubblewrap insulation sheet into the gap to fill it up, the difference was astonishing...and cheap to do.
You do need to take care not to block off the internal drain holes when doing this though, or else water can start leaking through the window to the inside, as I found out with one window.
Another thing is the trickle vents in the top of the window tend to be cut straight through the frames, meaning that the inside of the frame leads directly outside through the trickle vent because there's a bloody great big hole now joining it all together. I popped the inside trickle vent off and plugged the side holes for the inside of the frame with a simple 10mm piece of sponge.
Why sponge and not expanding foam? Well, I figured that sponge would allow some air through to keep moisture from building up too badly in the frame, expanding foam would seal it in.
The inside of the frame on all of my windows doesn't get cold any more. May be worth checking out the drain holes while doing all of this, they jam up easily and you could find that your window frames may have a significant amount of rainwater inside of them. That really doesn't help with keeping the windows warm! 😅
We have a large conny, it was too cold in winter and too hot in summer. We installed a composite roof, much like the one in the video and its absolutely brilliant now.
Agreed.It all depends on how much insulation is added in to the new roof. I think we had 150mm celotex installed and its like the rest of the house now, a great improvement.
Too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. They are not insulated buildings, more like just glorified greenhouses. Get rid and build a proper extension.
Couldnt find a decent builder!
Totally agree, I bought my home in west Wales
It has a glass conservatory on the side .. badly built and very cold
Got myself planning for an extension, work starts in march 2024
Can’t wait ✌️
I have been advised Conservatories can devalue a house, they were all the rage once, but they do get too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, how did they ever catch on?
Building regs: I believe you can heat the room as long as it's a separate heating control, ie not on the same thermostats as the main house. As an example, you could put electric heaters in if the rest of the house is on gas. This of course doesn't help with the bills
Thanks for another great vi. Just fitted one of those mirrorstore IR bar heaters on a timer, quite a bit cheaper than the wi fi version. So far so warm
I had the same problem, radiator couldn't cope with heat lost so I recently installed small 2kW split unit, aircon/heat pump/dehumidifier . I love it. Heating cost me fraction of the previously used electric fan heater. Cost of the air-2air heat pump/aircon £800 (£500unit+£300 installation) installed, Fujitsu. You can get cheaper so no names online or DIY with gas 290 if you good with DIY, wich was my initial plan. I uses conservatory as dining room, so heat it 20 minutes before use, or use dehumidifier option when I have something to dry, which is almost every second night.
Hysterical, thanks Roger, basically you're a rotisserie, but this is reality, so you takes your choice !
We have a massive conservatory, with all it's limitations, but actually we accept it's this and enjoy it anyway !
Another alternative is air source heat pump, that is air conditioner, there is some model installed on lower level hangs on the wall. It is a bit costly but can make both summer and winter enjoyable. I am wondering triple glaze windows will help but no matter how strong the insulation, when lights can pass through, there must be some energy loss. Two patio infrared heaters could cost you 200 but an air-to-air heat pump is about 1.3-1.5k but last very long and energy efficient enough.
Another great informative video - thanks Roger. I have a small conservatory and I cut insulation board to the shape of the glazed roof and window sections, wallpapered them and fixed small white clips at intervals to the frames, and slotted in the boards for the winter. I leave some roof clear for the view, just my preference. I suppose you could hinge the window boards somehow if you didn't want to take them down all the time, or use shutters, and add extra insulation to those. I added more insulation to the floor and dwarf walls too but nothing too expensive or excessive as it's only for a few months in the year.😄 (PS - I used retainers that turn side on or not, rather than something that has to be pulled hard as the board could break)
Very Clever Man! - I've thought of doing this for my 6 x 3m glass roofed conservatory for years but haven't been able to figure what what type of clips would work. Can you please assist with a picture/ description/ web link?
@@dadondada41 Turn buttons, or similar, but not screwed in so tight that they cannot be rotated by hand. SUfficient strength material, and qty according to the weight of your 'boards'. Another thing I do at times is paint the roof glass on the inside with a thinned down water based paint for summer shade, and just wash it off later - much cheaper than blinds - lol.
The glazing on the fence side you could remove that and replace it with a wall with insulation, brick on the outside cavity and studwork on the inside, insulation in the cavity and studwork. Then you would have glazing on only two sides and a solid insolated wall on the other.
My conservatory is just the same type of construction with a composite insulated roof and it’s lovely and warm. It may be down to the window and door gaps or through the floor
I have a similar sized conservatory, admittedly one wall is full height cavity, had composite roof tiles fitted onto a new super insulated timber roof, wall mounted oil filled rad & it’s now extremely warm in winter & cooler in summer, if your existing structure is very old then maybe think about taking it down & having a proper extension built.
We use our 6 x 3m conservatory all year round. DG windows / doors on two sides & a fully glazed roof. It has a wall mounted 4kW Air to Air heat pump which provides heating in the winter & cooling if needed in the summer. Works well enough even when it's below 0c outside. Warms the space up quickly & it's efficient too.
A 4kW heater for one room?
I have a North facing conservatory that is never too hot in the summer but freezing in winter. We call it our “Summer Room”. and accept it for what it is. During the summer months, we eat; lay on the bed/lounger and enjoy looking at beautiful shrubbery: watching the birds feed; the dragonflies around the pond and the bees buzzing around the Ivy.
During winter, it is shut off and never used.
I can’t even begin to imagine how much it would cost to heat it to a comfortable temperature or, indeed if it’s possible
It’s not part of the house but just a lovely place to be and entertain during the summer.
I have a similar conservatory. Last winter i was looking at the outside of the house with a thermal imager. I was shocked to see how much heat is conducted into the external brick skin of house from where it forms part of the internal conservatory wall (behind plasterboard) the whole back wall was lit up!
Same here - I was painting our conservatory interior walls at the end of November and the paint took forever to dry. It had never occurred to me before just how much cold is conducted along the rendering from outside to inside but it makes sense now why it's just so damned cold in the winter.
Would recommend air to air heat pump. Heats up really quickly when you need it and can use it as an air conditioner in the summer! Has worked really well for me
Because underfloor heating is a form of radiant heating, unless it's of the resistive electric type which costs the earth to run, I think it might be worth considering. You will not change the fact that there will be lots of heat loss, but may make the space usable. Another idea which may be easier is to install a wall mounted spit air conditioning unit (aka air to air heat pump). We use these for spot heating in winter, and cooling in summer, and they can be pretty efficient. If you do this research the SCOP stats to ensure you maximise efficiency, even if it means paying a couple of hundred more pounds. We have off peak electricity and I set my downstairs Aircon to come on and pre-heat areas using off peak electricity; though in your case the room wouldn't really hold much of the heat for long!
We have a small conservatory very similar to this one but the ceiling is glass too. On bright winter days the room is lovely and toasty but on cold dark days we have a tiny electric fan heater that costs about 28p an hour. We have that on a lot because my wife has filled the entire conservatory up with tropical plants. It's like a greenhouse. Our whole home is like a bloody greenhouse she has over 200 plants. We often open the door to our kitchen that leads to the conservatory because the heat from the sun or when we use that little heater is enough to warm the kitchen and our living room. The position of this conservator might be an issue, not south facing and the fact that the sun when it is out wont go through the roof. Juist my little pennies worth because ours is always toasty.
We use 170mm celotex in roof. Vented at the top and taped seals underneath insulate walls never had a problem with heat loss vast difference compared to glass or polycarbonate
Well you could put a couple of sliding glass panels and a fixed one in the middle. If you're not worried about opening the windows in the winter just get some clean film and put a 1 in stock doesn't need to be fixed together just as long as it's tight wooden frame and heat it with a hair dryer and that will give you great insulation
Also makes a massive difference on the glass. Warm edge will help a lot in the winter
Very similar to ours and we just splashed out on a 5KW log burner , taken the patio doors off and it heats through a treat. We did have a properly insulated roof fitted 10 years ago though . Pics available if needed.
Hi. I would love to see some photos please if possible.
Log burners release toxic air pollution including into the rooms they heat
@@stewartbridge5162 Don't you have a road to block somewhere?
@@JC-yc2sz you're a head in the sand type of guy. Stay wonderful
@@stewartbridge5162like lorries and cargo ships that deliver your merchandise to make a protest
Knock it down and build an extension to a high standard. Conservatories are in effect a temp building.
Our conservatory is very similar, just had a 5KW log burner installed, works a treat. Our roof was properly insulated with kingspan 😊 about 10 years ago.
Log burner, eh, like having a couple of lorries idling on your drive, PMQ -wise.
@@stewartbridge5162 ok boomer
@@stewartbridge5162I have seen people demonstrate how making toast (not even burning it) releases more PM2.5
@@stewartbridge5162Gosforth Handyman has a video on it - it isn't his area of expertise, so maybe he is doing something wrong?
Having the sun facing down on it helps the most, at night they nearly always turn cold unless heated.
I don’t think you can remove the doors either- that also classes it as an extension. We have an infra red heater in ours- works pretty well - even in winter.
On top of the infra red id say external wall insulation or blown cavity insulation after checking its insulated assuming it isnt. There are also window films to reduce heat loss, internal and external. Cheapest options. The internal wall could use that insulation bubble foil insulation.
I like this format connecting with your community, could be a good weekly/fortnightly thing. Would a Mylar sheet on the windows reflect the IR around the room?
line the windows with mirror tint ,itll also reflect heat back in the room bouncing aross, plus give u privacy and itll stop it getting too hot in summer
Can you do a series about good quality windows - doors and compare /check quality(noise measure , efficiency etc.). I would see you showing people with thermal camera how they heat is running from home, plus how much on the long run 10-15 years on proper insulation + changing windows you are seves pros & cons (comfort of living in warm non dumped house ). Please
It's a lost cause. Unfortunately sometimes the composite roofs are little more than a bit of multifoil stapled up rather than say, 25mm PIR. Either way you are right to lower the homeowner's expectations, it's never a year round room without extra heating. She could add some magnetic secondary glazing, for a fairly cheap additional bit of heat loss reduction and get someone to instastik some insulated plasterboard on those dwarf walls but personally I'd knock it down and whack an extension up, maybe a SIPs extension would meet the brief here well.
Blinds which you can roll up and down according to the weather and instead of the insulated roof, roof blinds that allow the sun in. Blocking out the sun is not a good thing
Hi Roger, it might be the angle that the picture was taken but the roof looks very down in one corner, I know that the gutter has to have a one in four pitch for the rain to run away but that just looks wrong.
Heating ain’t the problem it’s keeping that heat in .
As conservatories never came under regs everything was done to the minimum.
No under floor or cavity insulation to save on cost but if it was put in it was the very minimum .
I worked on them for 14 years 🧱👍🏽🥶🥶
Had new warm roof and full height glass to two sides. 200mm PIR + plastered ceiling. Yes, it gets chilly but so does the house like everyone else’s home in winter. That said, I would have a brick built extension any day but that’s 3 times as much as what we paid.
Do you need building regs as soon as you remove the doors from the original building.
Would underfloor heating help? Is there an electric option that can be retro fitted?
Maybe that would be very expensive to run?
I would replace the windows with “triple-pane” windows, + put in more electrical space heaters (or, put the n a “gas fireplace” instead), and bring those doors back, and nail them into the walls (if you don’t want to add in any insulation)
What about upgrading the glass, like triple glazed?
Always a problem, our Connie is south facing which means in the winter months through the day while the sun shines it's a lovely place for around 4 - 5 hours but with no sun - brrrrr. The cheapest solution for us is an oil filled electric radiator which takes the chill off but, short of running up electric bills with rapid fan heaters , there's no real answer. At least this lady has solved the roof loss, we have the traditional 3 ply/cell polycarbonate which offers no insulation.
When I was building my conservatory I applied for planning permission as i was doing other work to the house. They insisted on special glass that traps the heat and suppose to limit heat losses. How many conservatories built without planning permission is done with this glass?
It might be worth running heat sensor gun in it, it can be surprising where heat is getting out sometimes. It might be they only used a polystyrene board on the roof or the dwarf wall is single brick and not insulated, etc.
I know a couple of people who sit out in their conservatory all day all year round but ultimately they are designed to be occasional spaces.
Some decent flooring would help and put a jumper on, some people expect too much from a conservatory, summer time it will be too warm, that's for the next episode though.
Am I right in thinking that cold air comes inside from where the guttering is?
How about secondary glazing, removable magnetic ones?
We use a split system and it's toasty warm, I am sat in a T shirt right now while watching
How much electricity does it use? And how would it compare to having a radiator (gas heated boiler system)?
I have a very large conservatory and when it was built had radiators installed from the central heating. You pay when it is overcast and cloudy but when the sun shines the temperature rises to high 70's even in the winter. I would never replace the glass roof with an insulated one defeats the purpose of the conservatory. I am typing this with no heating on and the temperature is 60 degrees and within an hour or two with bright sunshine it will be in the high 70's.. I sit in it and watch the birds and bright sun light stops SAD seasonal affective disorder. It is worth its weight in gold. I also have blinds that when it is cold I pull down to keep the heat in. It is now 11.15 and the temperature is 75 and rising.
Judging by the fact that you state your temperature in fahrenheits I assume you're not from UK?
Well here in the UK starting from late September and up till late April almost every day (I'd say 8-9 days out of 10) is overcast, often with rain and no sunshine whatsoever.
So having a transparent roof makes very very little difference.
Needs an air con unit installing. Cooling in summer and heating for the winter. Sorted.
Thermal blinds/curtains…
A good set of thick full length curtains with thermal linings would help, thick underlay and carpet and a bit more insulation in the roof. Then take it out in summer and store it all ready to go back when the temperature drops.
Super thick curtains, can be pinned back when sunny.
Solar + using blinds.....all round helps a lot.
Air to air heat pump is the most sensible option.
Worrying just put a deposit on a roof!!! It’s not cheap but it is a proper roof replacement.. would be interested what method this roof was
Built too??
Hmmm. I have a cheapo conservatory.2 external walls double glazed and a polycarb box section roof. Doesnt seem to be noticeably colder than the rest of the house.
You probably have a massive radiator in there and having a huge heat loss (heating your garden basically)? With a decent enough high power boiler it's possible but heating bill is probably as impressive.
Hi just wondering what is the best way to insulate an outside wall that forms part of my internal garage? The outer wall is freezing in winter in turn making the garage freezing. I was thinking of just insulting the wall with Kingspan insulation boards ? Would this work in your opinion? Cheers and keep up the useful Q & A videos ❤
Bloody wall
Did almost the same in our flat where the entrance lobby wall backed the lift shaft - freezing and damp in winter until we plastered it with polystyrene foam and plasterboarded over it. Warm and dry after that so well worth it. You'll need to consider cold-bridging of the roof and floor too - if the garage is effectively joined to the house like a conservatory. Just make sure to air seal any gaps with foam/sealant where warmer moist air could condense and rot the board.
@@TheErador thanks for your comment 👍 sounds like you had a similar problem to me. My garage is internal to my house with just one brick wall being external and open to the elements, hence it being freezing cold in the garage. I was just looking to baton the wall and fix insulation board's to the batons but not plasterboard over the insulation board's? Cheers Nigel
Would there be any benefit in insulating the brick work?
The glass would rather quickly lose it on insulation levels, we also don't know what type of glazing is in (single/dubble or hr+ +) and how well the flooring or roof is in stopping heat loss.
Shiver 🥶
I would brick up the wall that faces the fence as you are not getting much light or a view out of it. We've tried an infrared panel and it's pretty pathetic. You'd have to get enormous ones to make any difference.
Skill Builder, are there Winter Window Panels that we can put/push on windows to warm, insulate, seal them for the winter?
Maybe they are like the white door panels, or simply a clear plastic sheet, whether it's soft material or a hard sheet.
She could put thermal curtains up, that would help
The point of a conservatory is to get free heat from the sun.
Put a log burner in best way to heat a room
...and maximise asthma in your neighbourhood
Infra Red heaters ideally shouldn't be facing windows either, that's tricky when you have the glass on three sides
Unfloorin heatin will.work fine
Only if you have insulation
Too hot in the summer-sit outside and enjoy, too cold in the winter- install a multi fuel stove
Fancy name for an enclosed porch?
I agree with this advice - conservatories are a lost cause. It's strange though, as our garden room shed, which is an insulated Dunster House job with big double glazing at the front warms up very well entirely passively on a sunny winter's day. Not so great on cloudy rainy days, but a little fan heater gets it pretty warm. I don't know why that would be seemingly more efficient than a conservatory. The roof is 200mm PIR and the walls are insulated (and taped etc. so there's no draughts). But still, it was a £10k wooden shed so I'm surprised at how well it does.
You can't seem why it's more temperatures efficient? It has 8 inches of insulation, 200mm PIR. Taped, so no leaky draughts. That's why.
She's losing heat through the enormous glass that's not insulated. Through the brick wall, probably not 200mm insulated, probably not even 50mm insulated.
I do wonder if there's a winter window insulation solution? Maybe window sized white panels that are fitted to several of the windows to insulate them. Just push into place, maybe tape or a rubber seal to prevent draughts. Even a clear plastic which is sealed would help.
@@Google_Does_Evil_Now I suppose it's more that inch-for-inch we probably have nearly as much glass as in this conservatory, walls that are moderately insulated but probably no better than the brick cavity wall that she has here, and while the roof is probably far more efficient, Roger's not suggesting replacing the conservatory roof with those PIR boards that SkillBuilder did a video/promotional piece on a few weeks back (essentially the same thing we have on our shed). I'm just surprised there's such a difference.
Your suggestion re winter panels is a good one, and something we have done on our upstairs loft conversion where the Velux windows are the weak point in an otherwise reasonably well insulated space. Just 25mm PIR board cut to snug fit, and foil taped around the edges so they don't spill tiny foam dust everywhere. Surprisingly effective.
Putting a heater in there would be my first guess.
Inga, a woolly hat and bloomers! Xx
Could you replace the windows on the left side with a wall?
Then you could triple glaze the other windows.
A lot of £££ and it still might not be enough! And you'd lose the view of the fence 🤣
My conservatory has been leaking ever since my neighbour pressure washed it’s roof.
No-one on the the planet is willing to look at it or repair it.
What do I do ?
a) go up there and have a look yourself
b) hire somebody to rebuild the roof
My conservatory a bit bigger than that but is fine with a little added heat after I insulated roof with battens, multifoil and plasterboard. Could do with a little extra insulation but still retains heat well. Why not mention extra insulation to floor and walls. Throwing heat at it with those heaters is just wasting energy. Even decent blinds can help keep sun out so doesn't get too hot and also retain some heat at night and in winter. Can't understand why you haven't mentioned extra wall and floor insulation
I see comments about adding 4 and 5kW heaters, that is a horrible amount of heat and CO2 to be throwing away. I'm afraid Roger is right, it's a structure that is not designed to be heated :(
All glass, vaulted ceiling, draughty double doors, and three sides exposed to the weather - Who ever thought these conservatories were a good idea? Yet every McMansion has one stuck to it.
Commendably honest. I'm sure less ethical contractors will be delighted to do the song-and-dance about foils and fillers and "balancing" the heating, then vanish without any sort of enforceable contract.
Air to air heat pump, you get cheap heat in winter and cooling in summer. Winner winner chicken dinner!
Exact same issue here, we just keep the electric wall heater on low if we're using the space and suck up the cost, kids love running around in the big open space so it's worth it just to keep them occupied. East facing so it warms up nicely if the skies are clear anyway. Long term solution is to knock it down and build a proper extension when we've paid off a bit more of the mortgage.
What do people think is going to happen? Really, it amazes me.
no everyone knows everything.
Warm roof but build like.
curtains
Fit a Log Burner, warm it up nicely
Chris Whitty wouldn't approve...
80% glass…always onto a loser, triple glaze ?
People love the fantasy but the reality is not quite so lovely. Lots of windows will mean a chilly space. A proper extension with building control approval is a much better option but much more expensive.
Some of my customers use a Provence butane heater. They warm the space very quickly
They creat loads of moisture
I feel like chicken tonight
Log burner
..smug solution, people who occupy a room with a log burner breathe in a tonne of toxic air pollution
You need solar gain.
Pointless things, they do nothing well... just a product to shift a load of windows... my dog sleeps in ours,
Get a swivel chair
Get planning permission and create a proper room
Mmmmmm chicken
Accept a conservatory will be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. There are ways to make use of them in both seasons.
In winter, I have my rowing machine in the conservatory. Ideal for a cool room. After a few rows you'll be hotter than a chicken in an oven, and it's great exercise.
We also have a pool table, and we regularly play. Moving around the table warms the air in the room, gets it circulating. We have a heater as well, but it never needs to be on long while playing. We also have blinds that are automated and shut around 4pm in the winter, which traps the warmer air of the afternoon in the room.
It's a darn shame to tile a conservatories roof, better to have glass, else that is the point? In the summer is lovely to see the blue sky and to have the roof windows open. Likewise the doors and windows.
Very annoying background music and green screen looks very creased.
What Can You Do About a Freezing Cold Conservatory? Get very drunk, take a load of drugs and then roll about on the floor screaming. There are no other options.
Why can you guys have a proper and REAL solution for a such small thing? Like, suggest regulating correctly the window, or by also window breaker or something permanent. Everywhere the solutions are always pigjobs. Is there no professional who can really give a good hint?
Is it just my eyes or is that entire extension lopsided?