10 Mar 2020
Most people love the idea of having a conservatory, from sitting in it during the summer to it adding 5% to a home’s value, but making it a year-round investment isn’t always easy. 18% of UK homes have one, and during the warm months of the year we are in them all the time, but when it comes to the winter it becomes a much less appealing part of the home.
This is where conservatories end up unused for months at a time, or, in a bid to use them, heating bills increase significantly. In fact, the Energy Saving Trust states that homeowners with conservatories could be losing out on more than £75 a year due to poor quality windows and anything upwards of £260 with ineffective insulation.
Whilst these can be fixed, where does that leave the heating? According to a government energy survey, only around 77% of conservatories actually have heating, with just over half of those (55%) connected to the central heating system. 42% still rely on storage or direct electric heaters, including portable heaters for their warmth, many of which are being used daily.
And with conservatories growing in popularity by 3% in 2018 and some installers claiming a rise of 9% in 2019, systems like that of hydronic underfloor heating specialists Wunda Group plc’s rapid response over-floor wet system that doesn’t require the digging up of floors are becoming many people’s go to option.
Compatible with heat pumps, solar panels or any existing gas/oil boilers, Wundatherm can be laid by any tradesmen and only requires a plumber to commission the system and an electrician to fit the controls and is designed to work with any floor finish.
With the likes of the #Do1thing campaign, where people are encouraged to make a small change to their lives to help fight the threat of global warming, now gaining momentum, Wunda is giving homeowners some advice when it comes to heating conservatories.
So how easy is it to make your conservatory more appealing for use all year round?
1. Get it insulated - Conservatories are often referred to as the coldest room in a house, which is why they are all but abandoned for up to six months of the year, yet over 200,000 households in the UK still apply for conservatory planning and home extension permission every year. Proper insulation is a great fix and will save both money and energy while creating a more liveable space. The majority of conservatories in the UK will either have a polycarbonate or glass roof, both of which are very poor insulators.
2. Get cost-effective heating - Upgrading the heating in your home/conservatory to wet underfloor heating is a good first step to reducing a household’s carbon footprint and is a great way to be more responsible with heating. Systems like Wundatherm are ideal for both retrofit and new build homes and are particularly popular in conservatories. When it comes to improving a living space, approaches like a change in heating will not only make a big difference to the feel of the home but also to the energy bills and the environment.
3. Invest in better glazing and stock up on the blankets! – Glass isn’t the best insulator, and replacing it all is likely to be quite expensive, especially if you don’t often use the room. If you have an older conservatory or extension it is worth investigating how much an upgrade will cost, particularly if you enjoy spending time in there. Throws and blankets can also help to take the cold edge off along with curtains and blinds, and they can also suit the conservatory to your particular taste.
British homeowners are predicted to spend almost £30 billion on making improvements to their properties by the end of 2020, and while the trend of home projects is once again becoming popular it's important to think about the environmental impact of any works, especially in the current climate change crisis.
Small but significant improvements like the ones mentioned above are mutually beneficial to both homeowners and the planet, and don’t have to break the bank. Fortunately, they also aren’t hugely intrusive and disruptive, with underfloor heating systems like Wundatherm taking less than a weekend to install by a confident DIYer.
For further information on the Wundatherm underfloor heating system or a free estimate, call 0800 083 2677, email plans@wundagroup.com or visit the website www.wundagroup.com
