Conservatories are brilliant, until about June. After that they become a greenhouse and you stop using the room until September. It’s one of the most common complaints from conservatory owners across the UK, and it makes sense when you think about how these rooms are built.
The good news is that it’s very easy to fix. The right blinds make a real difference to how comfortable your conservatory is all year round..
Why Conservatory Heat Gets so Bad in Summer
Most conservatories have glass or polycarbonate on the roof as well as the side panels. Sunlight comes straight through and the temperature rises, and fast. The lack of real insulation is another contributing factor. Once the temperature rises, it stays high.
The roof is the biggest culprit. A lot of people put blinds on the side windows and wonder why it’s still too hot. The simple reason is that most solar heat enters through the top. Side blinds help with glare and privacy, but if the roof is left uncovered you’re only dealing with part of the problem.
And it’s not just summer. In winter the same glass that lets heat in during July lets warmth escape in December. A conservatory without any kind of window treatment can feel cold and unwelcoming from October through to March.
Pleated Blinds for Conservatory Heat Control
Pleated blinds are the most common solution for conservatory roofs. They fold neatly when open and sit flat against the glass when closed. They’re compact, tidy and come in a wide range of fabrics and colours to suit a variety of styles and spaces.
What makes them particularly useful for conservatories is the fabric options. Many pleated blinds are available with a sun protective coating, sometimes called SPC. This coating reflects solar energy rather than letting it pass through. You still get light in the room but the temperature stays much more manageable. It’s a simple bit of science that makes a noticeable difference on a hot day.
At Elite Blinds UK, we offer pleated blinds in an extensive range of fabrics, from sheer options that filter light gently to more opaque choices that offer greater privacy and heat reduction. The right choice depends on how much sun your conservatory gets and what you use the room for.
Perfect Fit Blinds for Conservatory Windows
If your conservatory has UPVC windows, perfect fit blinds are worth considering alongside roof blinds. They clip directly into the beading of the window frame. No drilling, no screws, no permanent fixings.
This matters for a couple of reasons. Drilling into UPVC frames can void the manufacturer’s warranty on your windows. And perfect fit blinds simply look cleaner. They sit flush to the glass with no visible gaps at the sides for light to creep through, which improves both the look and the function.
You can also open your windows with them fitted. That’s useful in a conservatory where you might want airflow on a warm day but still want the blinds down to cut the glare. Traditional blinds often get in the way of this.
Our perfect fit blinds are available in pleated, roller and Venetian styles. They’re one of our most requested products for conservatory projects and we fit them regularly for customers across Manchester, Blackburn, Rochdale, Oldham, Preston and the wider Lancashire area.
Does Covering the Glass Actually Help with the Temperature?
Yes, and there is research to back it up. The British Blind and Shutter Association commissioned independent testing showing that blinds can reduce heat loss by up to 33%. The same logic applies in summer. A well-fitted blind with a reflective or thermal fabric stops a significant amount of solar energy from entering the room before it has a chance to build up.
Blinds work best as part of a wider approach though. Keeping roof vents open during the day helps considerably. If your conservatory has opening roof panels, use them regularly. Moving air keeps the temperature down even when the sun is strong. And if you’re choosing a new blind, lighter coloured fabrics reflect more sunlight than darker ones, so a neutral or pale tone will generally help keep the room cooler.
Year-round Comfort, Not Just Summer
Dealing with conservatory heat in summer is one side of it. The other is keeping the room usable in winter. Heat escapes through glass very quickly and a conservatory without blinds can lose warmth fast. A layer of fabric over the roof and windows slows that process down in the same way it slows heat gain in warmer weather.
Some of the fabrics we use at Elite Blinds UK have thermal properties built in, designed to work in both directions. They reflect heat away in summer and help retain it in winter. Done right, a set of well-chosen conservatory blinds turns the space into a room you actually use in January, not one you walk past.
Getting the Right Fit Matters
Conservatory roof panels are rarely standard sizes. The panels come in different shapes depending on the style and age of the conservatory, which means made-to-measure is nearly always the right approach. Off-the-shelf blinds often leave gaps at the edges and gaps mean the blind isn’t doing its job.
At Elite Blinds UK, we measure up and fit everything ourselves. We offer a free, no-obligation quote, and if you’re within our catchment area across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, fitting is included at no extra charge.
Conservatory heat is genuinely one of those problems that’s easier to solve than it looks. The right blinds, fitted to measure, sort it. If you want to talk through what would work best for your space, get in touch with us and we’ll point you in the right direction.
