Conservatories remain as popular as ever for anyone wanting to quickly and cost-effectively expand their living space. They offer a flexible addition to your home that can help seamlessly connect your inside and outside spaces. However, with environmental issues becoming an increasing concern for many of us, people often question whether a room made predominantly from glass is particularly eco-friendly, especially when it comes to heating our homes in winter.

The problem with glass houses

A room composed mainly of windows is fantastic for creating a light, airy space, but not so good for your heating bills. The problem is that glass is a relatively poor insulator, meaning that a conservatory can easily leak a lot of heat to the outside when the colder weather sets in.

Anyone trying to keep their conservatory heated during winter will usually have to accept a large percentage of the heat they pump into the space will be lost. Not only is this bad for their energy bills, it’s also terrible for their carbon footprint. In fact, modern building regulations will not allow you to connect your conservatory to your main central heating because this is such a major problem.

In the past, many people have simply dealt with this by having insulated doors between the conservatory and the rest of the house. This means that, come winter, they just close off the conservatory and abandon it until the warmer weather rolls around. Unfortunately that means you are potentially losing a big chunk of your living space for up to half the year.

Increase your insulation

The key to getting the most out of a conservatory without ruining your bank balance and the environment is to increase its insulation. This can be tricky, but there is one increasingly popular and simple solution that can allow you to have a room you can use all year while boosting your green credentials.

Replacing your existing conservatory roof with solid, lightweight conservatory roof tiles can help to dramatically increase the insulation properties of your conservatory without breaking the bank or requiring major structural alterations. The tiles are quick to fit and it is easy to add extra, lightweight insulation under them, allowing you to make your conservatory even more energy efficient. While this will reduce the amount of light entering your conservatory, the glass walls should still leave you with a space that gives you the best of both worlds.

Metrotile range of lightweight roofing products offer high performance technology with strong eco-credentials. To find out more call 01249 658 514 or use our contact form and we will get back to you promptly.