How I made my old conservatory warmer in winter

From the moment I bought my 1970s home a decade ago, I knew I wanted to change the conservatory.

It was a sizeable 4x3m space off the kitchen-diner but, as I discovered in my first year of living there, the glass roof meant it was utterly freezing in winter and roasting hot in summer — neither of which were conducive to being able to use the room year round. Over the years, I spent more than £3,000 trying to make the space usable, but nothing really worked as I wanted it to.

The previous owners had also removed the doors that should have been between the conservatory and the rest of the house, which meant whatever was happening temperature-wise in the conservatory happened in the rest of the house. In winter, I could just visualise all the heat my radiators were kicking out vanishing straight out of the conservatory roof. This meant that as a temporary measure, I had to resort to hanging a thermal curtain between the conservatory and the rest of the house. This was surprisingly effective, but definitely not what I wanted aesthetically.

Beyond that, whenever it rained, it sounded like I lived in a car wash. No gentle pitter patter of rain drops that you’d think sounded quite relaxing. This was a roar of noise that was so loud you’d struggle to hold a normal volume conversation if you were nearby.

How I finally solved the problem of my cold conservatory

2025 is the year that I finally solved the problem of this freezing and unusable space — I replaced the conservatory roof. The old glass panels are no more and instead, I have a pre-fabricated, lightweight, insulated solid roof in it’s place.

And I wish I hadn’t waited so long to do it as the difference has been incredible. The conservatory is now a warm and functional space, whatever the weather outside. Even when there has been frost on the ground outside, I have been able to sit in the conservatory, which after 10 years of not being able to do that, feels like such a luxury.

The whole process of replacing the roof took about eight days, which included, removing the old roof (which took an impressive 45 minutes!), putting the new one on, adding the roof covering and new guttering. Then there was first fit electrics, plastering and a couple of days drying time, then finally second fit electrics and clean up.

Was it worth it?

While replacing the conservatory roof was by no means a cheap fix, it is the only solution I’ve tried that solved the temperature issue that left the conservatory unusable for about six months of the year.

Having better insulation in the roof not only resolves the noise issue, but it also prevents so much heat from escaping from the connected rooms. I’m yet to compare my energy usage from December 2025 with the same period in 2024, but I am in no doubt that it will be an improvement!

While lower energy bills are understandably desirable, it’s the comfort level (and recovery of the space) that has thrilled me the most.

If you’ve had the similar issues over the winter, then I highly recommend looking at ways to modernise your conservatory and make it better suited to modern life.