The Best Conservatory Roof Replacement: Which System Suits Your Home?
Updated: 5 days ago
If your conservatory is too hot in summer, freezing in winter and loud in the rain, the roof is almost always the cause. Replacing it is the biggest single upgrade you can make. The harder question is which roof to choose. We fit conservatory roofs for a living, so here is the honest rundown: what each system does well, where it falls short, and how to work out which one suits your home.
What is the best conservatory roof replacement?
For most homes, the best conservatory roof replacement is a tiled warm roof: an insulated solid roof with a lightweight tiled finish outside and a plastered ceiling inside. It gives the best insulation and the least rain noise. If natural light matters most, a high-spec glass roof is better. A hybrid roof sits between the two.
That is the answer for the majority of the conservatories we see, and it is why most of our conservatory roof replacement work is warm roofs. But the right choice depends on what you want from the room, which way it faces and the condition of the frame underneath.
Conservatory roof systems explained
A conservatory roof system is the complete roof that sits on your conservatory frame: the support bars, any insulation, the outer covering and the internal finish. Modern systems are made as an engineered kit, designed to handle weight, weather and heat loss as one product rather than built piece by piece on site.
There are five main types on the UK market, roughly from worst to best for year-round comfort:
Polycarbonate. Lightweight plastic sheets with hollow flutes. Cheap and bright, but it offers very little insulation, is noisy in rain, yellows with age and grows algae inside the flutes.
Glass. Modern solar-control, self-cleaning glazed units. Plenty of light and a smart look, but still too warm in midsummer and too cold in midwinter compared with a solid roof.
Flat roof with a lantern or rooflights. Less common on traditional conservatories, but works well on contemporary designs where a large lantern brings light into the middle of the room.
Hybrid roof. A warm roof with glass panels or rooflights built in. You get most of the insulation of a solid roof and a useful amount of daylight from above.
Tiled warm roof. An insulated panel system with a tiled finish outside and a plastered ceiling inside. It performs most like a house roof.
Polycarbonate and older single-glazed glass roofs are now well past their best on most UK conservatories. If yours has one, it is almost always worth replacing.
How conservatory roof systems compare
These are the factors we talk through with every homeowner before recommending a roof.
Insulation and heat loss
Heat loss is measured as a U-value, and lower is better. Polycarbonate performs worst, glass is better, and a tiled warm roof is far better than either. A new solid roof is treated as a new part of the building, so it has to meet current Building Regulations. LABC confirms a solid roof replacement needs a Building Regulations application. Approved Document L sets the limit for a new roof in an existing home at 0.15 W/m²K, the same standard as an extension roof.
If you want to use the room in January without the heating on full blast, this is the factor that matters most.
Weight and structure
Heavier roofs need more support. Glass is heavy, and traditional slate or clay tiles are heavier still. That is why tiled warm roof systems use lightweight tiles, so most existing conservatory frames can carry the load without a rebuild. Whatever roof you choose, the frame and base need checking properly before anything goes on.
Natural light
Glass wins outright. A hybrid roof comes second, because rooflights can go wherever you want the light. A fully tiled roof lets in less daylight than a glazed one. Most people we fit warm roofs for do not miss it, but if your conservatory faces north or sits in shade, a hybrid is worth considering.
Rain noise
Polycarbonate is the loudest by a long way. Glass is quieter but still drums in heavy rain. A tiled warm roof is the quietest, because the insulation absorbs sound the same way it does in a house roof.
Maintenance
Polycarbonate needs regular cleaning and tends to discolour and leak as it ages. Glass needs cleaning but holds up well. A tiled warm roof needs very little attention once it is on, much like the rest of your house roof.
Cost
As a rough guide, a polycarbonate replacement is the cheapest and the poorest value. Glass sits in the middle. A tiled warm roof costs the most upfront, but it is the option that turns the conservatory into a room you use all year.
Alternative conservatory roofs and quick fixes
Not everyone is ready to replace the whole roof. These are the common alternatives, and what they can and cannot do:
Roof blinds. Cut glare and some summer heat. They do little for winter heat loss and nothing for rain noise.
Solar control film. Reduces heat and glare through glass in summer. No help in winter.
Insulated linings fitted under the existing roof. The cheapest way to add some insulation, but the old roof stays in place, so you keep its weaknesses, including leaks and noise from the outer sheets.
Like-for-like panel replacement. Swapping tired polycarbonate for new polycarbonate, or for glass, freshens the look but keeps the same performance problems.
A hybrid or lantern roof. A full replacement, but a good alternative to a fully tiled roof if you want to keep plenty of light.
If the room is unusable for half the year, the quick fixes rarely solve it. They are best for a conservatory that is mostly fine and just needs taking the edge off. For what a full replacement involves, see our guide to whether you can replace a conservatory roof.
Why most homeowners choose a tiled warm roof
Most people do not want a conservatory anymore. They want an extra room. A tiled warm roof turns the existing structure into something that performs much more like an extension, without the cost or disruption of building one.
We fit a British-made warm roof system from Warmer Room: insulated panels, a lightweight tiled finish outside and a plastered ceiling inside, with a 25-year guarantee on the structure and panels. Once it is on:
The room holds its temperature in winter without the heating on full blast
It stays bearable in midsummer rather than turning into a greenhouse
Heavy rain no longer sounds like a drum kit
You stop losing the room for half the year
Which conservatory roof is best for you?
It depends on what you want from the room:
For a room you can use every day of the year, choose a tiled warm roof.
For maximum natural light, choose a high-spec glass roof.
For a balance of both, choose a hybrid roof with rooflights.
For a contemporary look with light in the centre, consider a flat roof with a lantern.
For a short-term fix on a conservatory you plan to replace, blinds or solar film will tide you over.
For most homes we survey across Berkshire, the tiled warm roof is the clear winner, provided the frame and base are sound enough to carry it.
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