Energy efficient glass for conservatories

magn8p

After taking a lot of valuable advice from experts here, I have decided to go with a glass roof instead of a tile roof for our conservatory.

From what I read on the web, Pilkington Activ Blue (suggested by the builder) has a u-value of 1.0 compared to a plastered tile roof that has a u-value of 0.15.

I don't want to sound too greedy, but is there a better glass for the roof than Pilkington Activ Blue in the same price range?

Has anyone used an Activ Blue for your conservatory, how does it fare in cold months?

Many thanks!

TheCyclingProgrammer

The conservatory on our house (which we inherited from previous owners) was built in 2005 and had low e glass that conforms to current building regs but probably nothing like some of the energy efficient glass you can get now. For comparison though, it keeps the conservatory warm enough on all but the coldest of days though there's still some heat loss from the rear of our kitchen which is open to the conservatory. It's tolerable. It gets far too hot on hot sunny days though (south facing).

magn8p

Thank you. Not worried about the "Too hot in summer" scenario since we have a North-East facing garden and we don't see a lot of direct sunlight after 1 PM even in the hottest of the days.

On a different note, when you say "that conforms to current building regs", did you get it certified or do you think the numbers meet the building regs requirements?

TheCyclingProgrammer

We didn't have it fitted and I've not seen building regs certificate so I don't know for certain. It's open to the house so would have thought it would need building regs approval but the issue was never raised when we bought the house (nor am I really bothered).

magn8p

Thank you.

Has anyone tried SGG Planitherm 4Seasons glass roof?

happy35

I have the blue glass, good insulation added during the build and my conservatory can be used all year round, it has a radiator in though.

Furts

magn8p wrote: »

Thank you. Not worried about the "Too hot in summer" scenario since we have a North-East facing garden and we don't see a lot of direct sunlight after 1 PM even in the hottest of the days.

On a different note, when you say "that conforms to current building regs", did you get it certified or do you think the numbers meet the building regs requirements?

My suggestion is you want as natural a glass as possible. Basically the same as a window - and they are not clear. Tints and ability to reflect sunlight are fine if facing south, but you are the opposite to this.

I regard U Values like the Volkswagen emissions scandal. The manufacturers claim x, but nobody really knows if that is true. This means one can only look at U Value claims and say they are relative to each other. Think it through...the figures are meaningless because the glass manufacturer does not know if the glass is going in an aluminium, or pvcu, or timber frame. In the case of aluminium there could be significant heat loss not through the unit but through the aluminium frame.

The manufacturers claim a coating like low E. How many people know, and have checked, if their units are installed the correct way around in order to retain heat rather than loose it?

How does anybody know what gas has really gone into the sealed unit?

I informally followed up on a conservatory - nothing technical or scientific. The roof glass was at the lower price end of the choices - six or eight were offered. The conservatory faces North. The insulation has exceeded my best guess and the customer has saved perhaps £500-£1000 on the glass units (cannot recall all the figures) and put this towards heating. The heating is a tiny oil filled radiator costing around 40p a day for three months of the year. Certainly no more than £50 per year. So even after 20 years the customer will still be quids in here. However careful design is vital here - and the conservatory does get sun coming over the bungalow roof into the conservatory.

But do be careful - iirr you posted a picture of a conservatory with full height glazing. Purely a personal opinion but think very carefully about this current fashion must have of bi-fold doors and so on. Durability, heat loss, safety, practicality, wear on mechanism, materials used to build...are just some concerns that come to mind. I am not saying "no" just be very careful, and from your posts I sense you are doing just that.

magn8p

Thanks for that Furts. Apologies for the delayed response, I have been away on holiday.

The conservatory we decided to go with is slightly different to the one you saw in the pic. The features we opted are as follows:

1. 5m x 2.7m Lean-to conservatory with white uPVC
2. Glass roof - St Gobain Planitherm 4S
3. Walls on the side with plastered inside.
4. Full sized windows in the front with 2 Sliding doors.
5. Under floor heating with laminated floor that matches our current flooring.

So, I have received a quotation for the above and they are as follows:

£14,000 - A local home improvement company called Design Centre East Anglia with very good feedback on Quotatis (https://www.quotatis.co.uk/tradesmen/design-centre-east-anglia-ltd-orqYD)
£22,000 - Anglian Home (Their own SolarGlass instead of SGG Planitherm 4S)

So can someone tell me if it is worth paying £6,000 premium to Anglian Home? I believe they are a very well established company, but a 30% premium that too using their own product line sounds too much to me.

The third option that a friend suggested is to buy a used conservatory on eBay and use a local builder to assemble it, but I am not keen on this option as I don't have a builder friend like some you here and I doubt the quality of the final finish.

Please share your thoughts.