Conservatories nowadays aren’t at all like their energy-guzzling counterparts from the 1980s. Modern conservatories are actually very energy efficient. Just how energy efficient are they though, and why?
What is energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency is the term used to describe reducing energy consumption around the home and saving money.
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Windows, doors and conservatories that were created in the late 20th century were designed at a time when energy was relatively cheap and not much was known about the effects of global warming. This meant that, although they may have kept your property relatively warm, they would have needed a surprisingly large amount of heat, and thus energy, to do so.
Home improvement products nowadays are designed to maximise the effects of the energy you use by utilising complex thermal profile structures, better insulation and better glazing. Energy efficient conservatories will slow the escape of heat from your home, thus keeping it warmer for longer. This means you can use a smaller amount of energy to produce the same effects, potentially saving you money on your heating bills.
Things that influence the energy efficiency of conservatories
The overall energy efficiency of a conservatory is obviously dependent on a variety of design, build and environmental factors, as well as the ways in which you and your family use energy. Here are a few of them:
1. The quality of glazing used
High quality double glazing is supplied as standard with all of our conservatories, so that you can be sure your new structure will use energy efficiently and save you money on your heating bills.
Helping to enhance the thermal performance of a conservatory, double glazing uses the insulating space between two panes of glass to slow the escape of heat from a structure.
A good conservatory installer will be able to offer you a variety of glazing options to help you add to the energy efficiency of your new conservatory. Conservatories from Win-Dor for instance are supplied with high performance double glazing as standard. We also offer a range of additional glazing, such as triple glazing and solar control so that you can customise your conservatory to meet the energy efficiency needs of your home.
2. How much energy you use already
An energy efficient conservatory will save you money on your heating bills, unquestionably. But if you keep every single light constantly on in your property, use portable heaters and fans all the time and wash on scaldingly high temperatures the saving is likely to be offset by the rest of your energy use.
In order to feel the benefit of energy efficiency across your whole property you will probably need to change the way your household thinks about using energy.
Simple measures you can take to reduce you energy consumption include turning off excess lights when not needed, washing on a lower temperature and not using appliances that ‘guzzle’ energy, like portable heaters and fans. Energy efficiency isn’t hard, and it doesn’t reduce your comfort levels if you do it right. It’s simply just a matter of using common sense to save money and help the environment.
3. The profile design of your conservatory
At the risk of getting slightly technical, the energy efficiency of a conservatory also depends in part on the inner profile structure of your conservatory.
A profile is simply a length of uPVC that makes up the ‘frame’ of your conservatory. uPVC profile lengths are hollow to provide better energy efficiency. They feature complex compartments (known as thermal breaks) that help to trap heat in a home, thus making it warmer for longer, reducing your energy consumption and saving you money in the process.
uPVC conservatories will feature different break designs, depending on the particular manufacturer who created the profile length. Here at Win-Dor, we only use the most thermally efficient profile lengths so that you can make sure your conservatory is completely energy efficient.
Energy efficient conservatories from Win-Dor
The overall energy efficiency of a conservatory then is dependent on a variety of different factors. Here at Win-Dor we pride ourselves on paying attention to these factors to make your conservatory as energy efficient as possible.
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Find out more about our Victorian, Edwardian, Gable, Lean to, Reverse Lean to, P-Shaped and T-Shaped conservatories by requesting a quote or calling us on 01908 233 433.