February 2022

Solid Roof Considerations
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: THE HEAT IS ON
With massive price-hikes from energy suppliers this winter, keeping the heat in will be
a priority for consumers. Below, Ian Cowling, Sales Director of Eco-Logic Roofing
Systems, discusses why installers must offer the most energy efficient home
improvement products.
The price of gas has soared in
recent months, putting several
energy suppliers out of business.
Meanwhile, all the major suppliers have
confirmed huge price increases to their
standard variable tariffs from the
beginning of October last year.
As energy prices continue to
sky-rocket, and with
suppliers going bust
affecting just under 1.5
million households,
homeowners are set to
face a winter of
discontent.
According to figures from Oil & Gas UK, the price
of wholesale gas has surged by 250% since the
beginning of the year, and with the increase in
energy bills this winter expected to be followed by
an even larger energy bill rise from April,
consumers are fully aware of the need to cut their
energy spending.
The good news for installers is consumers will be
turning to home improvements to help insulate
their homes – and it’s vital that installers, builders,
and roofing companies can offer the most
thermally efficient products to win more business.
A cold snap
With many conservatories in the UK outdated
compared with the technology and performance
of the latest innovations currently on the market,
older conservatories will be getting noticeably
colder as winter hits.
Homeowners are quite rightly seeing replacing
and upgrading a conservatory roof as an instantly
Left: Ian Cowling, Sales Director at Eco-Logic Roofing Systems.
rewarding way of energy-proofing their home.
That has led to an increasing trend for replacing a
worn-out glass or plastic conservatory roof with a
new, lightweight tiled conservatory roof system
comprising of a structural aluminium skeleton
covered with PVC-U.
Thermal performance considerations
But while aluminium has been a favourite
material because of its strength, this can bring its
own problems when it comes to keeping heat in.
Solid roof options that utilise aluminium frames
can provide poor thermal performance, cold
spots, and condensation – and a poorly
performing conservatory roof won’t be any help
when it comes to getting those energy bills down.
Retaining heat
A solid conservatory roof replacement
constructed solely from timber eliminates many
of the issues associated with roofs with an
aluminium skeleton, including metallic cold spots,
condensation, and frequent draughts.
Of course, all-timber roofs are not a new concept,
and many installers will have fitted them
in the past, but their thermal efficiency is
now a game-changer when it comes to
replacement conservatory roofs and it’s
why we have enjoyed record sales and
are seeing an ever-increasing demand for
the Warm Roof Pro.
The Warm Roof Pro is all timber and uses
highly insulated SIPS (Structural
Insulated Panels) making it much more
thermally efficient. A standard Warm Roof
Pro roof achieves a U-value of 0.18
W/m²K on a standard installation, with
the use of insulated plasterboard achieving a U-
value of 0.10 W/m²K, creating a true warm roof.
Satisfying demand
It’s no surprise that we have gone from making
five roofs a week to 25-30 roofs a week for
customers – and that is only set to continue.
Consumers are much more in tune with energy
efficiency when it comes to what they want from
their home improvements now, and they now
have a much better understanding of phrases
such as ‘U-value’ and what they should actively
look for.
And with concern about their home’s energy
performance now even more under the spotlight
than ever due to major energy price increases,
installers, builders, and roofing companies must
be ready to meet that demand.
Contact Eco Logic / Warm Roof Pro:
01480 475957
warmroofpro.co.uk
@warmroofpro
30 TC FEBRUARY 2022