- 26 June 2026|
- News
If your conservatory is too hot in summer, you are not alone. It is one of the most common complaints homeowners have. A room that looked perfect on paper ends up as a no-go zone from May through September. The good news is that it is fixable, and understanding why it happens is the first step.
Conservatory too hot in summer? A modern insulated roof with controlled glazing can help turn an overheating conservatory into a bright, usable room.
Why conservatories overheat
A conservatory is essentially a glass box. Sunlight passes through the roof and walls, heats the floor and furniture, and because the room is enclosed, that heat has nowhere to go. Temperatures build fast. On a 25°C day outside, a conservatory with an old polycarbonate or basic glass roof can reach 40°C or more inside.
The roof is the biggest factor. It is the largest surface collecting solar energy, and in older conservatories it provides almost no resistance to heat gain. South-facing conservatories tend to suffer most, but east and west-facing ones are not far behind in peak summer.
A few things make it worse.
Opening windows during the hottest part of the day often brings in air that is hotter than inside, which makes things worse rather than better. The instinct to ventilate is right, but the timing matters. Early morning and late evening are when cross-ventilation actually helps.
Older polycarbonate panels yellow over time, reducing light but not heat. They become the worst of both worlds.
Furniture, flooring, and even window sills absorb heat during the day and radiate it back in the evening, meaning the room stays warm long after the sun has moved on.
Short-term fixes that help (but only so far)
There are a handful of things you can do to improve comfort without replacing anything.
Blinds and shading. Fitting blinds on the roof and side windows before the sun hits them is one of the most effective quick fixes. Light-coloured or reflective blinds work better than dark ones. The downside is you lose the light, which defeats part of the point of a conservatory.
Roof vents and trickle ventilation. If your conservatory has roof vents, use them. Hot air rises, so high-level venting lets it escape. Opening windows on opposite sides creates cross-ventilation that can drop the temperature noticeably.
Solar control window film. Applied directly to the glass, this reflects a portion of solar energy before it enters the room. It can help and it is relatively inexpensive, but it does not solve the underlying problem if your roof is the issue.
Fans and portable air conditioning. They work, but they run up energy bills and they treat the symptom rather than the cause.
These all offer relief. None of them fix the root problem.
The permanent fix: the roof
Every conservatory specialist will tell you the same thing. If your conservatory is too hot in summer and genuinely unusable, the roof is almost always the reason. Short-term fixes manage the symptoms. A roof replacement removes the cause.
Modern conservatory roofs are built with thermal performance at the centre of the design. They use insulated panels that block solar gain in summer and retain warmth in winter. The difference is significant. A well-insulated roof can keep your conservatory within a few degrees of the rest of your home, even during a heatwave.
At Oakley Green, we install two Ultraframe roof systems that address this directly.
The Livinroof
The Livinroof is a hybrid system that combines solid insulated panels with glazed sections. You choose how much glass goes in and where, so you keep natural light without the greenhouse effect. It achieves U-values as low as 0.12 to 0.15 W/m²K, which puts it on a par with a well-insulated house extension.
Inside, it creates a plastered vaulted ceiling. The kind that makes the room feel like a proper part of your home rather than an add-on. Spotlights, speakers, and roof vents can all be built in. The result is a room that is cool in summer, warm in winter, and quiet all year round. Ultraframe’s own guidance on the Livinroof explains the engineering behind the system: ultraframe-conservatories.co.uk
Livinroof installed on a large brick property, combining solid insulated roof sections with full-width glazing to eliminate overheating while keeping the room light and bright.
The Ultraroof380
The Ultraroof380 is a lightweight tiled roof system, weighing just 38 kg/m². It gives your conservatory the appearance of a proper house extension, with authentic tile or Metrotile finishes available in a range of colours to match your home.
Thermally, it performs to the same standard as the Livinroof, with U-values as low as 0.12 W/m²K. It can include full-length glazed panels so you do not have to give up the light entirely. BBA certified, fully fire tested, and built to handle the wind and snow loads typical of Berkshire and south Oxfordshire.
It is also fast to install. Most Ultraroof jobs are watertight in six hours.
UltraRoof 380 installed on a Victorian conservatory, combining grey slate-effect tiling with a rear glazed panel for natural light.
Which roof is right for you?
If you want to keep as much natural light as possible, the Livinroof is typically the better fit. Its flexible glazing configuration means you can position glass panels where you want them, often over seating areas or dining spaces.
If matching the roofline of your house is the priority, the Ultraroof looks and feels like an extension. It is particularly popular on older properties in the Berkshire area where a tiled finish integrates better with the existing architecture.
Both are manufactured by Ultraframe, who have been making conservatory roof systems for over 40 years. As an authorised Ultraframe installer, Oakley Green supplies and fits both systems across Thatcham, Newbury, Reading, Berkshire, and the surrounding areas including Windsor, Ascot, Virginia Water, Henley-on-Thames, Wokingham, and Maidenhead.
What about a completely new conservatory?
If your existing conservatory is old enough that the roof is just one of several issues, such as ageing frames, poor glazing, or draughty seals, a replacement roof might not be the most cost-effective route. In that case, it is worth talking to us about a new conservatory built with a modern Ultraframe roof from the start.
Our conservatory range covers Victorian, Edwardian, lean-to, gable-end, and combination styles, all engineered with Ultraframe systems to deliver year-round comfort.
A note on energy efficiency
A conservatory that runs at a sensible temperature all year is not just more comfortable. It is cheaper to run. You stop spending money trying to cool or heat a room that was never properly insulated. A solid roof replacement pays back over time through lower energy bills, and adds usable square footage to your home that buyers value.
If you want to read more about the energy efficiency side, our guide to making your conservatory more energy efficient covers the topic in more detail.
Ready to make your conservatory usable again?
If your conservatory has spent the last few summers as a storage room, it does not have to stay that way. Replacing the roof is a one-day job for most properties, and the difference is immediate.
We offer free, no-obligation quotes for roof replacements across Berkshire and the surrounding areas. Start your quote online or call us to talk through your options. We are happy to come out and take a look.