Mansfield, UK, -- There are proposed new building regulations for 2010 which will affect the minimum energy rating requirements for windows. It is also rumoured that conservatories will also come under these new building regulations, no matter how small they are.
When it comes to replacing your windows, it seems like everyone these days is talking about energy rated windows, but what about conservatories?
When rating windows for their energy efficiency, that is how much cold they keep out and warmth they keep in, both the frames and the glass are tested for which a U Value is calculated. The lower the U Value, the more thermally efficient.
A conservatory is a little more complicated than this because there are more places for cold to come in and for heat to escape. In addition to the frames and the glass, there is of course a roof.
David Bingham, Director of Conservatory Land which specialises in the manufacture and supply DIY conservatories, says “These days, there are so many factors that can affect the energy efficiency of conservatories such as frame types, colours, thicknesses and the way that they are reinforced, let alone the many glass types that are available. Then there are many roof glazing options. All this makes the rating of a conservatory far more complicated than for windows.”
David Bingham continues “If all conservatories are brought under the realms of building regulations, the only affect that this would currently have on energy efficiency is a minimum requirement of Low E glass such as Pilkington K Glass for the frames and roof and for polycarbonate roof glazing, a thickness of at least 25mm which would not achieve the same performance as windows unless a system for rating a complete conservatory is developed.”
Currently, only conservatories that exceed thirty square metres of internal floor area, or are not separated from the house by doors are governed by building regulations.
For more information about energy efficiency for conservatories, contact: David Bingham, ConservatoryLand, Old Mill Park, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire NG19 9BG, Telephone: 01623 488 887, Fax: 0870 123 1670
Contact :
David Bingham
ConservatoryLand
Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
T : 01623 488 887
F : 0870 123 1670
lloyd.cooke@
http://www.conservatoryland.com
