As we start to break into the summer months, the word “conservatory” starts to breach a few topics. Homeowners up and down the country just want an extra retreat added onto their property and on first glance, the conservatory ticks all of the boxes.
Unfortunately, this is anything but a room which can be classed as habitable throughout the year. While conservatories might be the ultimate relaxation room for a couple of months of the year, for the remaining time they are bordering on a waste of money. This might seem like quite a direct statement to make – but let’s take a look at the facts.
As we mentioned previously, it’s usually at the start of summer where homeowners start to wonder if this room could be a possible addition to their property. However, fast-forward a few months when summer has reached its peak and one might argue that they have become too hot to handle. What was once a room which was perfect for relaxing in, now became something which is just too hot to even step foot in. It’s no surprise really – after all, we’re just allowing the sun to stream through all day and effectively treat this room like a greenhouse.
On the other side of the coin we have the winter months and again, the conservatory becomes inhabitable. Freezing is an understatement and the glazing has a lot to answer for – it just allows cold air to filter through. Nobody in their right mind would sit in one; they are effectively discarded until the next year.
These are pretty big problems. A conservatory is no small investment and to only use it for a couple of months of the year is, as we stated earlier, a waste of money. This is where solutions need to be sought, with one of these arriving in the form of blinds.
Solar shades are probably the most effective type of blind in this regard as they can filter around 70% of UV rays. It automatically means that you can use it for the entire summer, and at least extend the “use period” of your room.
However, to get the most out of the conservatory it might be worth considering a blind which was actually designed for cold climates; the insulated shade. The design of this shade means that it can prevent warm air from escaping but at the same time, it can stop hot air from coming into the room in the summer. In this case it’s a best of both worlds solution and it’s something which allows you to immediately manage the temperature of your conservatory.
Of course, for the “serious” conservatory users (if there ever was a term), it might be advisable to considering hooking it up to your central heating section, or installing some sort of air conditioning system. However, the above window treatment methods are much cheaper and it should also go without saying that they both happen to be significantly greener.
