Insulating a conservatory with R'BULL

The hardest room in the house

A conservatory combines every thermal fault: a lot of glazing, little mass, an exposed roof and often no insulation at all. It is too hot from May to September and unusable from November to March.

Summer, the real subject

Heat comes in through the roof as solar radiation. Reflective insulation fitted under the covering sends a significant share of that radiation back before it is absorbed and released into the room.

Why thickness is not enough here

Thick insulation slows the passage of heat, it does not stop it. Against direct, intense solar gain, the ability to send radiation back counts for more than resistance to the slow passage of heat.

Winter, the other half of the problem

The same product works the other way round and limits losses towards the roof. That is the value of a reflector: it does not distinguish the direction of radiation and therefore serves both seasons with one fitting.

What should not be promised

A conservatory does not become an ordinary room. The glazed surfaces remain major weak points, and insulating the roof improves the situation greatly without transforming it completely.

The finish

A fabric stretched under the structure closes the plenum and gives a finished ceiling. It also allows lighting to be built in, which settles at the same time a frequent problem in this kind of added room. Many conservatories have only one central light point inherited from the original structure, and the stretch ceiling is the chance to redo it with no chasing.

Summer behaviour is set out on the summer comfort page, and the product on its data sheet.