Do any of you have warm conservatory? How?

[Nochristmasbreak]

I love my conservatory but it's ice cold in winter, despite a radiator.

What would be best to warm it up?

Putting a roof on it? (And blocking out the lovely light)

Under floor heating?

Adding blinds all the way around? (again blocking out the light)

Adding another radiator?

An insulated roof can make a huge difference with very little cost. Under floor heating is wonderful but it costs mega money to install and run.

We had our window replaced in the conservatory & enquired about a new roof. The fitter said not to bother as its more expensive than the conservatory & also it is a waste of time to try and heat it he advised to build an extension on it!
My plumber quoted £600 to put a radiator in so I got some electric plug in tube heaters instead but they don't give much heat.
I have previously looked at a roll of insulation for our loft and some people had recommended it for their conservatory roof so I might try that next.

@Nochristmasbreak
Yes we can sit in there in the evening quite comfortably but we switch the heater on in the morning and it keeps it really warm all day .

Nochristmasbreak My project for 2021 it to turn my conservatory into a usable room!! I'm looking at insulating the roof using one of those companies who advertise on the TV (Unless a wise Mumsnetter advises against it!) then disguising the insulation with fairy lights and gauzy material .

Really not sure what to do with the windows though - currently have (horrible) curtains from previous occupant which could make it cosier in the right colour and material. Most people seem to use blinds but these seem less cosy to me.

Getting a quote for the heating - currently shares a radiator with the dining room which isn't efficient for either room - but to improve it will need floorboards up and all sorts.

@Blobby10 it's my mission too!

I really want to sit in there in the evening, I want a nice hot drink, a book and a comfy sofa. I want to be able to see the stars!

@amazingtracy any chance you could take a photo/s of what a garden room looks like?

Or tell me/us a bit more about the set up? (Seems there are a few of us that want to know this answer!)

How many windows/doors do you have? Is it warm at say 8pm, could you sit in there? What do you have to heat it?

Ours has a pilkington glass roof, roof and side blinds and a wall mounted fan heater, it's ok except really sub zero weather. A roof fan helps in hot summer weather.

I have an electric fire in mine. It cost about £70 10 years ago From b and q. It doesn’t cost much to run. The room is 3 x 5 metres and if you turn it on 10 minutes before you go in it’s pleasant to sit in. I’m thinking about getting a Smart plug for it. The floor is tiled with a couple of rugs.

We had a quote for a roof, 7k, but I’m concerned about lack of light.

Similar to this.
www.diy.com/departments/be-modern-torva-grey-cast-enamel-effect-electric-stove/5030478715118_BQ.prd?ds_rl=1272379&ds_rl=1272409&ds_rl=1272379&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn56QypC-7gIVEL_tCh3ytwkLEAQYAiABEgKzzfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We have a proper roof and it's still too cold in there right now. Also the living room is so dark because of the tiled roof

Our roof has been insulated and a heater installed, improved but still cold. Turning it into an extension is the best bet.

@tisonlymeagain

We just don't use it between October - May 🤣

Same, we have a huge conservatory that sucked all the heat out of our house until we could afford to fit bifold doors on. We stop using it in October and open it up in April. Really we need to build a proper extension to make good use out the space.

Ours is about 12 years old. We keep the doors open to the house all day until bedtime and it stays the same temperature as the rest of the house. It has two radiators and is fully carpeted with a thick rug in top. It also has two large squashy sofas and an armchair so it’s very comfortable and I think all the soft surfaces help it retain heat. It gets sun until early afternoon so warms up early in the day too. We do have a large gas bill though, but it is very much part of the house and even in the snow is warm enough to sit in.

Something like this
www.screwfix.com/p/blyss-wall-mounted-dry-inertia-ceramic-heater-2000w/437fh

We got one of those air con units for the bedroom to keep it cold in the summer (could do warm too) bloody noisy and useless with the big tube thing out the back.

You might consider a proper heat exchange unit - where the box is outside, and the vent is through the wall. They're not cheap to install but I believe they're vastly better than the sort with a tube.

We had a nice conservatory on our previous house, we had some oil filled radiators but never attempted to keep it warm enough for human comfort in winter. It was brilliant for plants such as cyclamen. I really think trying to keep a glass box warm is a pretty hopeless and environmentally unfriendly idea - why not use it for lovely plants (some scented) which want frost free but cool winter conditions, wear warm clothes and hold a nice hot brew while you stargaze?

[quote Nochristmasbreak]@FelicityMingington you seem to know a lot about this stuff, so what about the oil radiator idea below? What that be a good solution?

I could make the radiator a double or triple and add another, that is a possibility. And adding under floor heating might not be too big a job as we want to change the flooring anyway.

[/quote]
Sorry for a late reply.

Yes, both of these would work to increase the heat input and make the conservatory warmer. And the oil-filled radiators will be much easier to install than "wet" radiators which run off your central-heating boiler. But they will cost much more to run. As a rough rule of thumb electrically-powered heating (of any type) costs four times as much as gas-powered.

"I really think trying to keep a glass box warm is a pretty hopeless and environmentally unfriendly idea"

^^ This! My dad has a small conservatory on his house which he uses really a lot from early spring through into autumn. In winter time he treats it more like being outside but warmer (if that makes sense). So he'll sit out there with his morning coffee to watch the birds, or use it for doing odd jobs, but wearing a warm jumper / gilet.

I think if you see it as being a pleasantly wind free version of outdoors (love the suggestion of hot drink & warm things to watch the stars) you're going to be much less disappointed.

Interestingly, dad's conservatory is north west facing, & the surveyor when they bought the house was very negative about it - but actually it's ideal because it doesn't overheat in summer time the way a south facing one would.

I've got a salesman from a Conservatory Insulating company coming out tomorrow - its the one that advertises on TV with Anna Ryder Richardson. I'm not hopeful as the man on the phone asked "if the home owner would be there" err yes that's me. " Is there anyone else who makes decisions?"

I've asked my OH to come round - whether I use the company will depend for a large part on whether the salesman/woman talks to me or my OH (who has his own home and no connection to mine!) . I think lockdown is making strange things exciting

As warm as toast.
Underfloor heating
Gigantic electric bill.

I don't even attempt to use ours at this time of year, apart from on the odd sunny day when it heats up if the sun is shines directly at it (although the tiled floor is still chilly).
In the winter I use it mainly for overwintering plants and storing vegetables and cold drinks. Like daffodils, it's something seasonal that comes back into our lives in March and I really look forward to it!

Equally it's too hot on sunny summer days but I don't try to use it then; I leave the doors open as much as I can to stop the heat building up and enjoy it in the evenings or on breezy days when I would be cold sitting outside.

Accept it for what it is and it stops being annoying is my best advice (I don't know how people live with conservatories which don't have a closing door to the rest of the house though. That would be illegal under current building regulations I think. You need to be able to shut the cold (of heat) out).

@Blobby10 oh my god, what a cheeky salesman!

@TrickyD is it really toasty with just underfloor heating? Do you have carpet or tile over the top?
Do you have blinds or a roof?

We had a proper roof put on ours last autumn & it was the best thing we ever did. We have 4 Velux roof lights so we haven’t lost too much light. I wish we had done it much sooner!

[quote Nochristmasbreak]@Shylo that's what I want! I want to sit in there in the evening. I would love to see a picture of how a useable conservatory looks in the evening.

Does anyone have underfloor heating? Do you recommend or think it was a waste of money in such a cold room? [/quote]
Yes, underfloor heating and we use it all year round. It is very useable, room for big groups as an alternative to the dining room, nice cosy sitting area, Here it is from both angles.

Here's the other angle.