The compulsion to reduce our carbon emissions is affecting all areas of our lives and the latest development concerns conservatories. New building regulations set to come into force this summer seeks to cut carbon emissions by 30 per cent for new build homes, so for those homes with conservatories attached and transparent roofing this will be difficult to achieve.
Thankfully, the new regulations will not as yet apply to conservatories added to an existing building but for those without a separating door such as open plan designs some regulations on the size of windows and insulation may be tightened.
For those households with a conservatory, much can be done to cut the carbon footprint of the property. Making sure that doors and windows seal properly, installing blinds and insulating any walls will all help to improve the situation and ultimately save energy. As much of the heat is lost through the roof consider changing it for glass or for a solid roof if the construction of the conservatory is sufficiently strong.
To heat a conservatory in an environmentally friendly way one solution is an air source heat pump. This can be used with underfloor water-based heating systems or radiators and in summer can even be used in reverse as an air conditioning unit providing a conservatory that is warm in winter and cool in summer.