With Autumn officially here, the temperatures will soon start dropping and we’ll all no doubt start preparing ourselves for the winter months.
Whether you love it or hate it, nobody can deny that one of the best things about winter is being in a nice warm home. If you struggle to keep your house warm however and find that one of the biggest culprits is the conservatory, below are some great ways to keep this room warm during the colder months.
Glazing
The main reason why it’s so hard to keep a conservatory warm is because glass isn’t as good an insulator as brick. Unfortunately, even the best triple glazing isn’t as efficient as a modern insulated wall when it comes to retaining heat but it certainly does help.
If you only have single glazing in your conservatory, it’s well worth looking at having it replaced with double or triple glazing. This will be expensive but if you’re spending a lot of money trying to heat it or you can’t use this room for most of the year because it’s too cold, it’s probably a worthwhile investment.
Shutters
People don’t tend to think about installing them in a conservatory but solid shutters are a fantastic way of insulating this room. Because they provide an extra layer of protection, shutters are brilliant heat insulators and do in fact have heat retention values similar to that of an interior door.
Eliminate draughts
If your conservatory is particularly chilly, investigate whether or not there could be any draughts contributing to this. Windows and doors and normally the biggest culprits but also look for gaps in the walls or floor. Make sure you have blocked off any possible sources of draughts to. You can visit the Energy Saving Trust website for further details: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/home-insulation/draught-proofing
Think about the flooring
Whilst most heat will escape through windows, a significant amount of it is lost through the floor as well. If you walk on the floor in bare feet and it’s very cold, this to can make the room feel colder than it actually is.
If your conservatory always feels cool (even in the summer), it may be worth laying a carpet. You can install a layer of sheep wool insulation with your underlay for added warmth and this should help significantly – visit https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/floor-insulation/ for further advice. If you prefer sticking to a wooden floor, think about adding a thick, large rug in the winter. It will provide a lot of extra warmth during the colder months and then when it starts getting hotter, you can simply store it away.
Add heaters
Most modern conservatories already have heaters built into them but if yours doesn’t or you need some extra warmth, portable heaters are a great way of achieving this.
It’s worth bearing in mind that if you purchase a convection heater, it’s only worth having it on while you’re sitting in the room. This is because heat rises vertically with these types of heaters so a lot of the warmth is lost through the glass before it even has a chance to warm you up. Because the heat is lost so quickly, you’re simply wasting money by having it on when you’re not in the room.
Infrared heaters are much better suited to conservatories because they heat the floor and even the furniture in the room and therefore help to retain the heat for much longer.
Dress your windows appropriately
As your windows are likely to be one of the biggest contributing factors towards heat escaping from your home, especially if you have single glazing, it’s important to ensure you have the right dressing for them. If you can feel a draught coming in from your windows, shutters can be the ideal way to keep the chill out.
Window shutters are not only brilliant heat insulators, they also look fantastic and offer far more privacy than curtains or blinds can.
Upgrade your thermostat
If your thermostat is getting on a bit, investing in a new one can help to reduce your energy bills by up to 10%.
The trick is to ensure that your thermostat is programmable because by automatically turning down the temperature by 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours a day, these thermostats can save huge amounts of money. A great time to set the thermostat to a lower temperature is either while you’re out at work all day or when you’re sleeping.
Make the most of the sun
Even when it’s freezing cold outside the sun’s rays can still bring heat into your home. Make sure you keep your curtains, blinds or shutters open during the day – especially in the rooms you know are exposed to direct sunlight. If you are at home in the daytime, it’s worth sitting in a room that benefits from the sun because it will be naturally warmer which will help to avoid the temptation of cranking the heating up.
