Why Consider Conservatory Roof Blinds

When it comes to a decent conservatory, you want to make sure it’s not too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. Depending on the style of roof you’ve got, it can seem quite difficult. This is where conservatory roof blinds come in. These can be installed yourself, with a little bit of knowledge, and can transform your extra space into your new favourite place.

This article will explain what conservatory roof blinds are, as well as what styles are available. It will explain what benefits you can expect, along with the drawbacks involved. Finally, the article will go over how much these blinds will cost. With a full range of colours available, there’s room to be stylish too.

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Why Conservatory Roof Blinds Are Useful

If you’ve ever experienced a typical conservatory in multiple seasons, you can appreciate how often you decide whether to use it or not. It mainly depends on how thermally efficient it is, as those with roof tiles will be able to retain heat more easily. Roof blinds act as their own barrier.

Conservatories with a glass or polycarbonate roof can suffer from heat gain in the summer, and allow more heat out in the winter. Instead of replacing or rebuilding your roof, you can simply make use of conservatory roof blinds.

These can be useful in a number of different ways:

• Reduce glare

• Retain heat in winter

• Increase privacy

• Keep cool in the summer

• UV protection

• Noise reduction

Different Styles Available

You may be thinking of the traditional roller blind, but these wouldn’t sit in place properly on a slanted ceiling. Instead, conservatory roof blinds are attached to the ceiling panels and are easy to operate.

The most common types of blinds for a conservatory roof are:

• Pleated

• Roller

• Thermal

• Sail

• Perfect fit

• Pinoleum

• Skylight

Pleated

Tucking neatly away when not in use, pleated blinds concertina out to fit the shape of each conservatory roof panel. The main benefit of using pleated conservatory roof blinds is that they can cover all aspects of the roof, whether you have skylights or multiple panels.

Roller

Regarded as subtle, roller conservatory roof blinds are made bespoke to fit the dimensions of your roof. They can come in different sizes, which can cover multiple panels at a time. These fit snugly against the roof panels.

Thermal

While not a style as such, any option can feature thermal panelling to the blind’s fabric to enhance the thermal efficiency of your conservatory. This can reduce the radiation from the Sun, including any heat gain, and ensure the room retains warmth in the winter.

Sail

If you’re a fan of the nautical theme, you can install sail conservatory roof blinds. These are sheets of fabric permanently attached to the rafters, which don’t fully block out light, but act as a slight barrier. These can be a middle ground between full shading without having to entirely remove natural light.

Perfect Fit

A uPVC conservatory can make use of the clip on option. Perfect fit conservatory roof blinds require no drilling and are made to measure your frames. They come in a frame of their own and are ready to apply. The only downside is, they won’t fit all spaces, especially complicated ones.

Pinoleum

This style is a semi-transparent material that still allows you to see the outside. With pinoleum conservatory roof blinds, heat gain and glare are reduced. With a similar texture as you’d see on a hessian sack, the range of colours are usually only available in various shades of brown. The woven wood and reed material is a gentle option for filtering out the effects of the Sun.

Skylight

If you have a tiled roof with skylights, you don’t have to miss out on the benefit of conservatory roof blinds. With sliding panels that can feature blackout fabric, these can slide open and closed whenever you need them to. Alternatively, most other options can be considered with skylights.

Advantages and Disadvantages

As well as the aesthetic, there are many other reasons why you should consider conservatory roof blinds. Similarly, there are some elements you should be aware of before you purchase them.

Advantages

• Temperature regulation

• Light control

• UV protection

• Privacy

• Reduce glare and noise

Perhaps the biggest advantage of conservatory roof blinds is how they are able to regulate the temperature of the room much more easily. This can turn your conservatory into a usable space in the hot summer and the cold winter. With a thermal backing, any of the blind options above can offer superior thermal properties.

Additionally, you can reduce glare and control how much light enters your conservatory. This can aid you in different ways, depending on various activities you’re doing, such as looking at a television screen or reading. Light control also protects your belongings from harmful levels of UV rays, which can cause them to fade over time.

The other benefits you can get from conservatory roof blinds are to do with an increase in privacy and a reduction in noise. Acting as a barrier to reduce how sound reverberates around the room, blinds in a conservatory can make life easier on the ears. Depending on the style you’ve gone for, this can also reduce noise transference from outside.

Disadvantages

• Installation difficulties

• Sagging/gaps

• Obvious

• Limited energy efficiency

One of the drawbacks to installing conservatory roof blinds is that they aren’t necessarily easy to fit. As all conservatories come in different shapes and sizes, the housing for some of these blinds can be tricky to install. Similarly, some of the options may require additional support first.

Plenty of options can also cause gaps to appear, not blocking out the sunlight entirely. Materials can sag and negate their purpose. You can get around this by choosing the option that would best fit most snugly.

It may seem like a silly thing to say, but conservatory roof blinds are obvious when they’re installed. Even when they’re not in use, some people can be put off by the coiled fabric or material. As this is a relatively thin barrier, the limited thermal efficiency can be another drawback. You can get around this by opting for an insulating barrier behind them.

Electric Conservatory Roof Blinds

As with most actions, automation can make life much easier. Instead of having to manually operate your conservatory roof blinds, you can make use of a remote control or switch. This stylish option can be used on almost all designs, just not any that are permanently fixed.

Electric roof blinds can be controlled through mains power, via battery or even through solar power. The motors require such little power that even a battery option can last several months without having to be replaced. Having said this, it still needs to be replaced, which can be tricky.

If you’re thinking about installing electric conservatory roof blinds, you can control them in the following ways:

• Remote

• Wall mounted switch

• Smart controls

There is an option to suit everyone and any home setup, giving you the freedom to operate your blinds as you see fit.

How Much Do Conservatory Roof Blinds Cost?

All installers offer bespoke conservatory blinds, so it’s hard to give an exact figure. The price you will end up paying is determined by a number of different factors, such as:

• Conservatory type

• Roof type

• Size of blinds

• Style of blinds

• Automation and control

• Colour

• Material

• Professional or self installation

Having said this, Checkatrade offers an average price of these blinds across the UK at £4,525. The option of having them electrically operated can cost an additional £50 per blind. This can increase depending on the options you’ve chosen.

You can see average prices of roof blinds for conservatories in the interactive graph below.

Similarly, while you can reduce costs by performing the blind’s installation yourself, you will have to consider that something could go wrong, depending on how tricky the fit is going to be. Not all conservatory roof blinds will be easy to install.

Easy options that can be done yourself can include the perfect fit blinds or roller options. You will have to be comfortable working at height and potentially having to attach the frame to the roof. If you’re not completely comfortable, it will be much easier to pay for a professional installation.

Do I Need Blinds for My Conservatory?

Considering conservatories normally feature a lot of glazing, incorporating conservatory roof blinds seems like the obvious choice. With all the benefits they bring, it can help you regain control of your otherwise unusable room.

Having said this, it mainly depends on your situation as to whether you think blinds for the roof will work for you. Critics of these blinds will be quick to point out that they don’t offer much protection from light or heat. If you’re in this band, you might be more interested in a replacement roof instead.

We can’t help with roof conservatory blinds, but we can put you in touch with installers who can replace your roof or build a new one from scratch.

Find out how much you’d pay for a replacement roof, or a new conservatory by clicking on the button below.