Conservatory Specifications - Glass Info

Conservatory Glass information
Which is the best conservatory glass for my conservatory?
This is the million dollar question like all things it a pay off between budget and performance. To conform to build regulations conservatories generally do not have to have low emission glass as long as they are have a dividing door from the main house in to the conservatory. Below are a few of the most commonly asked questions on glass and conservatories?

How do I keep the heat in my conservatory?
Low emissive (low-E) glass is designed to reflect heat back into a room, maximising the use of the available heat from the sun. This glass allows the suns rays to pass into your conservatory and then it reflects the warmth when the heat tryst to escape bouncing it back into the room. A few of the trade names for this glass include K glass by Pilkington glass and planitherm by Saint-Goblin Glass.
The benefits of fitting low e-glass from any manufacturer are that it improves the energy efficiency of your home and reduces the amount of energy you use. This has a knock on effect of saving you money on your heating bills. Low emission glass is more effective at keeping the heat in your conservatory than single or standard double glazing.
Low e glass will typically keep an unheated conservatory comfortable for a greater part of the year than ordinary double glazing, allowing you to make the most of your conservatory all year round.

How can I Reduce the Heat from the Sun in your conservatory?
Too much light and heat! In the UK! Never heard of such a thing you may well be saying. Try asking those folks who have a south facing conservatory they will soon inform you of this issue. This problem is a two edged sword during the summer you will bake and in the winter, if decide on the normal non low e glass, you will lose all the benefits of good energy efficiency. But don’t worry some of the large glass manufacturers have products that can solve both problems.
Controlling the suns heat can be achieved by using coloured glass or tints. There are varying types on the market but one of the best is Pilkington’s Artic blue. They also have a range of products called the suncool range.
Tinted glass is very subtle not your average boy racer black out glass. The right colour can add that touch of class.
If you decide that a tint is for you they come is a variety of colours including green blue and yellow.

How can I reduce the noise in my conservatory?
When writing this the first kind of conservatory noise that came into my mind was being near a busy road. Then I remembered being around a friend’s house watching the TV in his new conservatory and it began to rain. The background noise level instantly rose. The solution to this is easy. Buy a glass roof. Problem solved. Not the cheapest solution but a consideration when selecting a conservatory in the first place and that’s what we are here for.

How can I clean my conservatory? And Self cleaning glass
Every conservatory owners dream. Something that we never consider when we buy a conservatory is cleaning the glass. How do you clean a glass conservatory roof ? Long stick and broom, fancy collapsing ladders? Well now you don’t have to. Pilkington glass have created a new glass called Activ™. In summary it uses daylight and rain water to breakdown and wash away organic dirt form surfaces. It has blue colour that also keeps internal temperatures cool.
There are other methods of self cleaning glass on the market most of these use technology that was first developed in the 80’s. The market leader is ritec and their award winning products such as clearshield. In summary it is a non stick coating for glass that stops organic matter sticking to glass, with the rain washing it away.

Obscure Privacy glass
If your conservatory is near the neighbour’s fence that last thing that you want to do is sit looking at it. One solution is to use panels in place of glass along the offending side but this can cut down the amount of light in the conservatory. The other option is obscure glass. Just ask your local conservatory supplier there are numerous types and styles of obscure glass that you can use to maintain the airy feel of you conservatory with out looking like a pub toilet.

Decorative Glass
As well as the different type of obscure glass there are other ways to personalise your conservatory and give it those finishing touches.
* Bevels or crystals
* Resins and colours
* Leaded patterns.
These are a very cost efficient way of making your conservatory your very own. Just ask your local conservatory supplier.