Conservatory Insulation - is it worth the effort and cost?

The term conservatory by definition means a highly glazed structure (walls & roof) and as most glazing elements have very poor thermal performance when compared to a highly insulated structure, is it worth or even possible to insulate a conservatory any further given the amount of glazing?

Well yes and no as there is logic to both arguments. Conservatory insulation is available to be installed within the dwarf walls and the conservatory floor but is very rarely done so or offered by the conservatory suppliers in order to save on costs and be competitive.

As there is no requirement for a conservatory to be very thermally efficient as it is meant to be unheated for its exempt status under Building Regulations, one could argue that installing added insulation to the unglazed areas is pointless.

However, living in the real world for a moment I have yet to se a fully unheated conservatory that is used in the winter. All year round used conservatories will be heated whether by mobile heaters or as a formal fixed installation. Therefore adding insulation to the remaining walls & speciality the floor of the conservatory is a good idea in my opinion.

It may only save a small percentage of the conservatory heating costs per year but it should re-coupe its extra cost within about 5 years given the state of the ever increasing energy costs at the moment. So go and add in that insulation to your conservatory right from the start even if it is not initially offered by your conservatory supplier.