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Ventilation
The first port of call for anybody looking to keep a space cool and airy should be ventilation. A breath of fresh air from the outside world is a free renewable, sustainable resource, after all!
Your conservatory will almost certainly come with windows and a door onto your back garden. If you find yourself overheating on an early summer’s day, simply open all of the windows and the door as much or as little as you like.
Modern conservatories and patio doors, (like the ones we manufacture and fit at Britannia) can usually lock in an open position, giving you security and peace of mind and protecting against sudden gusts of wind that might send a door swinging on its hinges.
There is a problem, however. On a seriously hot day or during a prolonged heatwave, opening windows can make matters worse — bringing hot, still and humid air into your indoor island of cool.
One useful trick to fight this, however, is using the wind direction or convection to create a flow of air through your house. This is best done by creating a path for air to flow through your home, in one side and out of the other. Done right, this will create a mild, cooling draught of air — but be careful! Changes in the wind can slam doors and send paperwork scattering.
However, if fresh air alone was completely effective at cooling our conservatories, there’d be no need for this article! Most of us are already doing everything we can to properly ventilate our conservatories, and don’t need a web article to explain it.
We hear you — and raise you some practical solutions.
Cooling film
The principal problem for most overheating conservatories is the fierce summer sun. The UV from its rays can even damage your furniture!
Fitting tinted cooling film to the roof of your conservatory is fairly simple and affordable, and works by decreasing the amount of the sun’s energy that enters your property. High-quality film can reflect as much as 80% of the solar rays that hit it, helping to keep your conservatory cool.
The film usually has a minimal effect on the overall brightness of your conservatory, as most visible light rays don’t carry a whole lot of heat and are left to filter through without issue. What’s more, the film has the opposite function in winter — by adding another layer of insulation to your roof, it helps stop heat from radiating out of the glass, keeping your home warm.
This film is usually adhesive, and installed by sticking it to the underside of your conservatory roof. Some films also stretch over the frames of windows. You can fit this film yourself but should consider contracting an expert, who can pick out the right film for your property and fit it to be maximally effective. You can contact us to talk about your options.