Climate Control

KEEPING YOUR CONSERVATORY COOL

As a leading UK supplier of high specification DIY conservatories to the self build market we are specialists in providing an affordable Do It Yourself conservatory solution that will add value to your home and increase your living space all year round. Our genuine trade prices will provide you with considerable savings on typical installed retail conservatory prices by eliminating the installation company's profit margin when you install yourself.

Retaining your valuable heat during the winter is covered on our Insulation Values page but it is just as important to consider how you will control the temperature during the summer months. 

Adding a new conservatory to your home will certainly increase your living space but you will need to consider carefully how you will control the climate inside the conservatory, especially during those long hot summer days.

There are several factors that will have an impact on individual requirements and these need to be reviewed at the design stage to ensure that you will be able to comfortably use the conservatory all year round.

North, South, East or West?

A south facing conservatory will endure long hours of direct sunlight during the summer months and requires careful thought when it comes to deciding on the type of roof glazing. The temperature inside could easily reach unbearable levels if no protection from the sun is specified. For polycarbonate roofs we would always recommend Heatguard or if you are considering a glass roof, Activ Blue solar control glass is the best option. These are covered in more detail below.

North facing conservatories will not receive much direct sunlight and clear polycarbonate or glass can usually be selected with confidence.

If your new conservatory will face East or West it is likely to receive some direct sunlight and Opal or Bronze polycarbonate may provide some assistance in helping to control the level of direct sunlight entering the conservatory.

Improve the air-flow in your new conservatory

 EAVESFLOW™ TRICKLE VENTILATION IS STANDARD

 Our Ultraframe conservatory roofs have patented built-in trickle ventilators fitted into the eaves beam offering controllable secure air flow to the roof space all year round.  Adding the optional Ridgeflow unit will provide additional temperature controlled automatic ventilation to the roof.

You can read more about built-in roof ventilation by downloading the Classic Roof Overview.

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL WINDOW VENTS 

 We provide four opening vents as standard but you can add extra openers to suit your budget.  Adding more openers obviously improves ventilation but can also provide equal sightlines especially when all opening vents is specified.  Each opener has a lockable night ventilation position and trickle ventilators can also be specified if required.

ROOF GLAZING OPTIONS

There are two main choices for the roof glazing of your conservatory, polycarbonate or glass. 35mm Polycarbonate has definite cost advantages over glass and is available in several finishes. Glass is the more expensive of the two but offers higher insulation and sound benefits and is also available in several specifications.

Polycarbonate Choices

35mm Clear Polycarbonate – Normally chosen for roofs where you intend to have roof blinds fitted.  Not recommended for south facing conservatories.  Light transmission 64%

35mm Opal Polycarbonate – Helps to diffuse ultra violet rays and a popular choice but not particularly effective for south facing conservatories.  Light transmission 40%

35mm Bronze Polycarbonate – A popular choice for woodgrain finish conservatories but offers little protection against direct sunlight.  There is also a Bronze/Opal option that provides Opal finish to the inside which provides improved performance.  Light transmission 41%

35mm Heatguard Polycarbonate – Especially recommended if you conservatory faces south, Heatguard has a reflective external coating which allows the light in but deflects solar radiation reducing solar heat gain through the roof by half when compared to other materials. Heatguard has an opal finish internally.

Glass Choices

Glass roofs are becoming a popular choice due to a wider range of options available including clear, anti-sun or the latest solar control glass with self cleaning coating. To ensure maximum energy efficiency we always provide a Low E glass to the inside and the sealed units are argon gas filled as standard.

24mm Triple Shield Glass Roof

By choosing Triple Shield Argon Gas filled Low E sealed units you will achieve the same high specification and performance for the roof as we supply as standard to the windows and doors in our conservatories. Triple Shield roofs can be supplied in you choice of clear, bronze or grey anti-sun tints.

Click here to download the Triple Shield fact sheet

Activ™ Blue Self Cleaning Solar Control Glass Roof

Specially designed for the optimum roof unit, Activ™ Blue is a revolutionary new glass that is perfect for use in conservatories.  It uses daylight and rainwater to breakdown and wash away organic dirt from exterior surfaces, making it ideal for hard to reach places that are difficult to clean.  Its unique blue colour also helps keep internal temperatures cool whilst still maintaining excellent light transmittance.

• Attractive blue colour offers excellent aesthetics and optimum performance
• Excellent solar control performance combined with good light transmission
• Uses daylight and rainwater to breakdown dirt and was away organic dirt from the exterior of the glass
• Works even on cloudy days and during the night
• Activ™ coating lasts the lifetime of the glass
• Easily cleaned during dry spells by hosing down
• Low exterior reflection improves aesthetics of the conservatory
• Combined with Triple Shield and Argon Filled provide a 1.2 U Value
  

Activ™ Neutral Self Cleaning Solar Control Glass Roof

Ideal for conservatory windows and doors with all the benefits of Activ Blue but without the blue tint. 

Watch this Pilkington video for the full story on Activ self cleaning glass or download Pilkington Activ Brochures from our Downloads page.

You can also visit the Pilkington Activ web site here .

RECOMMENDED ROOF OPTIONS 

Once you have decided on the roof glazing we recommend you consider the following options to help control the climate inside the conservatory.

 OPENING ROOF VENTS

Adding opening roof vents will help increase the flow of air into the roof space on a hot summer's day. Roof vents are available manually operated or by electric remote control. A rain sensor unit can also be added that will ensure that the vents close automatically if rain is detected.

RIDGEFLOW UNIT 

Adding the optional Ridgeflow unit to your conservatory will help to reduce the temperature in the roof space on warm summer days.  Available for all duo-pitched conservatories with a ridge longer than 800mm the unit is electrically operated and thermostatically controlled to operate at temperatures in excess of 30 degrees changing the air in the conservatory roof approximately 4 times an hour.  As it is activated automatically Ridgeflow will operate independently helping to cool your conservatory even when you're not there!

CONSERVATORY FANS 

 Ultraframe conservatory fans are available in a range of six different styles that also feature built-in lighting.  These fans offer dual settings for summer and winter operation.  Using the summer setting will help move stale warm air upwards whilst the winter setting will help move warm air gathered in the roof space downwards.  All fans have 3 speed settings, reversible blades and can be supplied with an optional remote control unit for ease of operation. 

Download the Ultraframe Conservatory Fan Brochure as a PDF

CONSERVATORY BLINDS

Click the image below to view our new range of self-fit and fully installed blinds for conservatories.  You can order a free sample pack and get an immediate online price with absolutely no obligation.  Full measuring and installation guide for the self-fit range of window and door blinds are available on the site or if you require conservatory roof blinds a full installation service is available.