Heating Options For Conservatories

Heating Options For Conservatories

The conservatory can be a heavenly place in the summer and a great room to banish the winter blues in the colder months - once it's heated properly. So, what are the best heating options for conservatories?

Underfloor Heating

This heating system is the most efficient and also provides a luxurious and comfortable feel that will delight you when you put your bare feet on it each morning. It also means you don't have to worry about the aesthetic impact of radiators. Underfloor heating merely requires a 13 amp socket and allows great heat and comfort on otherwise cold materials in winter, such as stone and tiles.

Hot Water Underfloor

This is similar to that of the Romans heating system and channels heat under your floor from your boiler. Of course, this is dependent on boiler capacity and you may need a new one if it is under powered. Hot water underfloor heating is very comfortable, however if something goes wrong can be expensive to fix.

Radiators

The traditional radiator can also be added to a conservatory. However, the main reason people wish to avoid them is because they aren't so pleasing to the eye. If you choose boiler based radiators, you will also need to have a boiler with the additional capacity to meet the needs of extra radiators. Electric radiators are of course a better and often more practical option in many homes for this reason.

Wood burning stoves

It's also possible to add a wood burning stove to your conservatory, however it can cause ventilation problems, so consult your stove specialist. You may also need to insert a number of additional safety precautions you wouldn't have to do if for instance you were adding a wood burning stove to a normal building. Additions, such as double insulated flues are often necessary and often cost a lot extra, so be aware.

How Double Glazing Works

How Double Glazing Works


We often hear about the insulation properties of double glazing, however many of us don't understand how it works and how it actually traps the heat in and keeps noise out of the home.

Simply explained, double glazing works on the principle that air, or gas is not nearly as good of heat conductor as materials such as glass. So, double glazing is made up of two panes of glass with a central area filled with inert gas. This layer does not conduct heat very well and so significantly limits the amount of heat that actually escapes through the window and outside of the home. This means in winter a double glazed window will keep your home insulated and is far more useful than a single pane.

The Science

To be more scientific, warm molecules move faster than cold ones. When one warm molecule bumps into another next to it, it shakes it and it starts moving equally as quickly. This continues and all the molecules begin to move faster and so conduct heat. Glass's molecules tend to be very close together and so conduct heat quickly. Air's molecules are further apart and so don't tend to conduct materials nearly as quickly.

To put it in more simple terms, the woolly jumper you wear is very similar. As the fibres of these jumpers trap air between them and also the warm molecules coming from your body. Wool jumpers slow down the molecules and form an insulated layer between your body and the outside world and so keep your body warm.

Argon

Many of the double glazing windows don't actually have air between them, they in fact have a gas called argon. This gas is inert and doesn't react with other materials and is a third poorer of a conductor than air. This increases how hard it is for heat to escape through the window, even more so.

Getting the difference between the inside and the outside of the pane is important. Panes that are too close together will transfer heat across either pane, whereas panes too far apart also cause problems. These panes have significant temperature differences and cause the air between panes to move around. This can allow heat to escape from one side to the other. The optimum width between the panes is 16mm - 19mm.

The Frame

These glass panes are placed between either wood, aluminium, or uPVC panels, though this is also to be considered. Aluminium is light and strong, however it also is a conductor of heat meaning an insulation has to be placed between it and the pane. Wood can also be used and is a great insulator, however it is manmade and can really wear with time.

UPVC frames are probably the best as they are both good insulators and also hard wearing. This makes them among the most popular choices for UK buyers as they offer the best of both worlds for those looking to use double glazing on their homes.

So, hopefully now you understand the differences between windows and how these double glazed versions work.

Getting Quotes For Double Glazing

Please feel free to use Top Tradespeople's no-obligation service for homeowners to compare free quotes from local double glazing companies

How Social Media Sites Can Help You Choose Your New Conservatory Design

How Social Media Sites Can Help You Choose Your New Conservatory Design


Conservatories have always been a bit of a stylish addition to a house. These mainly glazed structures originated in the 17 and 18th century, when the land owners of that time began to install orangeries on their properties. Thankfully, as time has gone on, the remainder of us mere mortals can now benefit from owning a conservatory and enjoy the lifestyle benefits that they offer.

Conservatories provide a chic, heated (often too heated in Summer), sunny extension to our homes but choosing the right design is not always easy. Take heart, today's modern age of social media can help. Let's look at the various social media platforms that you can use to find inspiration for your new conservatory.

Pinterest

The new social media 'babe' of the internet, packed full of images 'pinned' and 'liked' by others and integrated with social media platforms twitter and facebook. This is an image based sharing website where users 'pin' images using their browser bookmarks bar and then share it with their followers via their own design boards. Not only will you be able to look for exterior designs and frameworks for your conservatory here, you'll also be able to gain ideas about how to design the conservatory internally too, as Pinterest is frequented by many interior design bloggers. You're sure to find everything you need here.

Digg and Reddit

These two sites are more targeted towards content and are very much about 'social bookmarking' over images; however they provide some fabulous links to ideas and design applications for a new sunroom. Again, as its users browse the web they 'digg' (i.e. vote with a thumbs up), webpages. For ideas, such sites are amazing.

Flickr

Flickr also provides an excellent way in which to find amazing ideas for conservatory designs and other interior design inspirations - it's very much about photos and you will get many homeowners who record their conservatory building project progress using sites such as Flickr.

Stumble Upon

Stumbleupon is an easy web site to use - hopefully you will be able to find some 'stumbles' relating to conservatories, sunrooms or orangeries.

Twitter

Of course, Twitter posts is one of the best of all the available sites for finding out about anything as and when it happens. Follow some interior designers or conservatory companies and keep an eye on their 'tweets'. In addition to design ideas, you may just get yourself a deal on a conservatory as many organisations now use Twitter and Facebook as their outlet to announce sales and special offers..

You Tube

How could we neglect YouTube in all of this. The primary film and video web site, and the third largest search engine in the world today provides film and video snippets of everything to do with conservatories - from building companies who have uploaded videos of a conservatory being built, to conservatory companies who want to showcase their design. There are even self-build conservatories on You Tube, if you fancing having a go at building your own.

Top Tradespeople Free Conservatory Quotes Services

Use all of these social media websites for inspiration when it comes to choosing the conservatory that's right for you - alternatively, you could ask us to look for conservatory companies to quote for you. We don't charge for this service, and hopefully you should save time and money finding a conservatory company who will be able to go through various design options with you.

Building Regulations Windows

Building Regulations Windows

Document L of building regulations relates to windows building regulations. If you are replacing windows in England and Wales properties then your replacement windows are subject to building regulations detailed below.

Please note that as with all guides on the Top Tradespeople handy DIY guides, including building regulations guides, all information is given for guidance only and you should always seek advice from your local building control office to ensure that your building works are compliant with building regulations and planning permissions.