saving heat loss from conservatory roof

A question about : saving heat loss from conservatory roof

Hi does anyone know of how to save heat loss from a conservatory? I've got an electric heater and thing of screwing in insulated plasterboard to the inside of the roof. Any other ideas?

Best answers:

• Bubble rap? anything that would insulate a green house?
• I have a Victorian Conservatory 4m by 3m and at present I am trying to sort out the heat loss, which makes it virtually uninhabitable in the winter without the expense of a convector heater.
  I have found a company called Roof Revive www.roof-revive.co.uk which advertises a patented conservatory roof system. Their estimated price for my conservatory roof is Ј2600. Their website shows that it makes the conservatory 75% cooler in summer and 75% wrmer in winter. Their explanation of the system states :
  "The u-value of a material shows its ability to conduct thermal heat. A material with a high u-value is very good at conducting heat and will therefore let most of the heat in on a sunny day, whilst letting most of the heat pass through when it's cold.
  The standard polycarbonate and glazed roofs used in most conservatories have a very high u-value which is why conservatories can be uncomfortably hot in the summer, when solar heat is conducted into the room, and difficult to heat in the winter when the same ability to conduct heat means little of the generated heat remains inside: it simply rises and goes straight out of the roof with very little resistance.
  Conversely, materials with a very low u-value are much better at insulating a conservatory, keep it cooler when it's warm outside, and making the room much easier and cheaper to heat in the winter months.
  The Roof Revive System uses a light 28mm high-performance composite insulation, combining 19 layers of reflective and insulating materials to deliver its stunning results. The system is installed with adequate cross ventilation to prevent condensation or 'sweating' of the structure.
  Following careful installation, the roof is finished with 10mm plasterboard and skim finish. The customer can then apply an array of decorative finishes to the surface to fully complete the stunning new installation.
  No alteration is made to the existing conservatory roof or to its vaulted profile, resulting in only a minor 50mm approx reduction in headroom".
  
  Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions or advice.
• I have see the website too, looks interesting but is there anyone out there who has had it done? woould be interested to hear as I am thinking about it too.
• To spend Ј2,600 on insulating a conservatory roof is just unbelievable!
  How much would it cost to 'dry-line' the ceiling - essentially battens, insulating material and plasterboard
• To comply with the building regulations and planning exemptions for conservatories the roof and a large proportion of the walls must be translucent.
  As soon as you try fitting permanent insulating structures to it you lose those exemptions and have to comply with planning and building regulations for an extension.
  Your conservatory is intended to be a sheltered environment for plants - not a substitute proper room.
• Surely you might as well build an extension if you're going to block up most of the glass ?
• My thinking for going down this route is due to the difficulty in keeping the space warm in winter.
  I had a quote for a thicker polycarbonate roof for Ј3000. For a glass roof I would apparently need to renew the whole roof, metal supports and all, for about Ј5000.
  A compete rebuild would cost in the region of Ј15000, so Ј3000 to have the roof insulated, in the scheme of things sounds the better option.
  Appreciate any thoughts on this.
• Solar inserts are the way to go. little strips of specially designed foil you slip in the gaps of your conservatory roof. Available on ebay for about Ј7 per 100m. We did this, put laminate floor heating in and much warmer. However it has still been exceptionally cold and as I use the conservatory for an office am considering insulating in between beams, plasterboarding and plastering. Estimated cost cЈ250.
• Would you not be better to consider a simple air to air Heat Pump. Hot air for about a third of the electrictity price in winter and Air conditioning in summer.
• to my knowledge you dont need planning permission for a conservatory as it is 70% glass, would changing the roof structure to a "non glass" mean that you are now in breech of building regs?
  eta. sorry, already been posted
• Agree with Cardew. Your best bet is to go for a air/air unit.
• Problem with anything like that is that they're a bit bulky and ugly looking. I don't think they'd look very nice in a conservatory.
  When I had my conservatory built I decided not to use it if it gets too cold and that's still my plan - it would be nice if it was a bit more insulated though (just so I don't need to worry about frost).