Over the past twenty years or so there has been enormous growth in the sale of domestic conservatories and it is quite easy to see why .
Apart from the fact that they do add a certain style to your home , they are also really great spaces to relax and enjoy quality time in .
As a result of the easing of town planning laws and building regulations , many home owners are at liberty to extend their living space without any of the usual cost and red tape involved in applying for approval for a conventional extension .
CONSERVATORY ROOF INSULATION
Fad or Necessity ? We look at the facts ...
Over the past twenty years or so there has been enormous growth in the sale of domestic conservatories and it is quite easy to see why .
Local authorities have eased planning permission and building regulations .
So for the home owner it really does look like a win-win situation but there are of course some drawbacks .
Despite the many , many advantages , conservatories in general are not very thermally efficient . This can result in situations where the cost of heating is extremely high in the winter and reducing the summer heat gain is next to impossible .
Many conservatory owners have , over the years purchased blinds in an attempt to deal with this very problem and although they do offer some small benefit , they are largely ineffective .
In the last ten years there has been the emergence of a few specialist companies that can provide a real answer to the problem .
These companies fall broadly into two categories ; Those that remove the entire conservatory roof and replace it with a tiled roof system and those conservatory roof .
In most circumstances both methods will provide good thermal insulation , making the conservatory usable every day of the year .
The down side to the roof replacement method is that one may need to obtain building regulations approval , the cost of the replacement roof system will be quite high and it is not a very quick installation .
The upside of the roof replacement is that a conservatory with an existing roof that is beyond economic repair can be given a new lease of life .
On the other hand , if the existing roof is serviceable , then having an insulated ceiling installed will convert the conservatory into the beautiful haven that had been hoped for but at a fraction of the cost - usually within one or two days .
So to answer our own question - Fad or Necessity , in most cases conservatory owners will need some form of insulation in summer if their conservatory is south or south westerly facing .
And regardless of direction , they would certainly benefit from lower energy costs in winter if they installed an insulated ceiling or replacement roof .
The government seems to agree and allows these companies to charge the energy saving reduced VAT rate of just 5 %.
The government allows these companies to charge the energy saving reduced VAT rate of 5 %.