air conditioning in conservatory.
- Thread starter jje1973
- Start date
Sponsored Links
Air conditioning works, and is somewhat cheaper to run than other types of heating. Obviously can be used for cooling also.
You will need to fit blinds or some other reflective items to the roof, otherwise the conservatory will be unusable in the summer, A/C or not.
Underfloor heating will just warm the floor covering after being on for a few hours. That is all. It certainly won't heat the room.
However building a conservatory and expecting to use it all year is unrealistic - the cost of heating it in the winter will be astronomical, assuming you can actually get enough heat in there to increase the temperature to reasonable levels.
If you want to use the space all year, then build a proper extension.
You will need to fit blinds or some other reflective items to the roof, otherwise the conservatory will be unusable in the summer, A/C or not.
Underfloor heating will just warm the floor covering after being on for a few hours. That is all. It certainly won't heat the room.
However building a conservatory and expecting to use it all year is unrealistic - the cost of heating it in the winter will be astronomical, assuming you can actually get enough heat in there to increase the temperature to reasonable levels.
If you want to use the space all year, then build a proper extension.
The biggest problem with conservatories is they are about as heat efficient as an average garden shed; they aren’t really suited to all year round use. The heat loss through the roof & windows in winter will be horrendous & it will cost you a small fortune to heat by either method. Apart from the odd sunny day, many (including myself) only use them from around April through to about the end of October; if you really what/need all year round use, you need a garden room or extension which is essentially the same.
Regards heating, you should allow 200W/sqm if you want any chance of keeping it warm. An air conditioning unit (heat pump) will cool in summer & heat in winter but the disadvantage is you will have a pretty large compressor/heat exchanger unit strapped on to the outside of your cons that will be probably be on full view unless you’re thinking of a portable unit. But these only go up to around 4 ½ Kw which may not be sufficient in a larger conservatory. I disagree with flameport regarding UFH; we have a 4Kw system in our 22 sq/m cons & it works extreamly well. It must be properly installed over an insulated slab & a reflective backer boards directly under the heating element reduces warm up time significantly in our case to around 30 minutes, it also gives a very even heat distribution. We also have a separate 3Kw radiant heater we can call on & although that little lot will keep the temperature up in winter, the running costs are prohibitive.
Go for a minimum 50mm multi wall opaque polycarbonate roof which will help keep the glare & heat down in summer, you can also fit heat reflective strips. Careful positioning of doors to create a through draft also makes a huge difference to keep it cool in summer, we have doors in all 3 external walls.
Regards heating, you should allow 200W/sqm if you want any chance of keeping it warm. An air conditioning unit (heat pump) will cool in summer & heat in winter but the disadvantage is you will have a pretty large compressor/heat exchanger unit strapped on to the outside of your cons that will be probably be on full view unless you’re thinking of a portable unit. But these only go up to around 4 ½ Kw which may not be sufficient in a larger conservatory. I disagree with flameport regarding UFH; we have a 4Kw system in our 22 sq/m cons & it works extreamly well. It must be properly installed over an insulated slab & a reflective backer boards directly under the heating element reduces warm up time significantly in our case to around 30 minutes, it also gives a very even heat distribution. We also have a separate 3Kw radiant heater we can call on & although that little lot will keep the temperature up in winter, the running costs are prohibitive.
Go for a minimum 50mm multi wall opaque polycarbonate roof which will help keep the glare & heat down in summer, you can also fit heat reflective strips. Careful positioning of doors to create a through draft also makes a huge difference to keep it cool in summer, we have doors in all 3 external walls.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
