The insulation of the roof or the renovation of the same is a topic that is always ‘on-trend’ but underestimated. Usually you put your wallet in hand only in the event of infiltration, unsafe tiles or general renovation of the building, so what’s the value in installing new roof insulation for your conservatory? Well, if you are looking to upgrade your existing space or make it more energy efficient, insulation is key!
The heat that the sun brings to our homes can be unbearable at times, along with solar radiation, through the windows, but also through the external walls and above all through the roof, which is the surface most exposed to solar radiation and summer heat. Otherwise why would we put photovoltaic panels on the roofs?
In the winter, the snowand ice melts on the uninsulated roof, so, if the roof has not been properly designed, built and isolated, your house will be very hot in summer, and will require continuous cooling (air conditioning) that will only partially solve the problem.
But even in winter the roof is a weak point: most of our winter heating is dispersed right through the roof (hot air tends to rise) if not isolated ad hoc. Look good at the photo: it is a house with a partially redone roof. Where the insulation has not been carried out, the snow has melted!
What does it mean that a roof has been designed and constructed badly?
The bad design and construction quality of the roof involves enormous inconveniences, as previously mentioned. In older buildings, say from the 60s to the 90s, an empty room was normally placed, an unheated attic, between the rooms and the roof itself. The construction technology was simpler, because the attic was left unfinished and it was easier to build the sloping pitches on low walls.
In addition to being a space often used (incorrectly) as a storage room, the function of the attic was to separate the rooms inhabited and heated in winter from the roof which was a cooler surface. Conversely in summer. A kind of airlock …
But did this system work well as isolation? The answer is no, and you will understand later.
In the 2000s, it was perhaps even worse. In many cases the construction technology has not been updated to the benefit of better thermal insulation: the roof has continued to be built with the classic concrete and plank structure, and with little or no thermal insulation .
On the wave of the real estate boom, then, rooms with sloping ceilings were often built in the attics of the houses and condominiums: spaces that were indicated in the land registry as attics and sold as such, were instead used as bedrooms.
So there you have it, without ample insulation, you have a space that’s too hot in the summer months, too cold in the winter months and dated in style. Why not make a simple, yet effective home improvment, such as adding more insulation (also known as a conservatory roof insulation project)?
It’s simple, affordable and delivers results.