Room to Improve - U value ?

E

ennisjim

Registered User
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155
Hi,
Watched 'Room to Improve' on RTE last night. Lovely extension to house. Lots of glass, loads of light, great view, etc, etc. But surely the heating bill will shoot up big time for such a design - unless triple glazing was used I suppose (which I doubt because the couple were so budget conscious). No sign of heavy cold-excluding curtains last night (would spoil the shots for TV) but perhaps the solid fuel stove in the middle of the space will be going full time come winter (or even current summer !).
Anyway, I was interested to know if anyone has similar large areas of glass and what experience is with heating.

Thanks
 
I have a (relatively large) extension on my house, about 5.5m x 5.5 If you work out the 3 exposed walls + gable facing the garden, I have approx 52 sq m of 'wall'.

Of that, approximately 21 sq m of it is glazed including the gable, right up to the ridge. The room has a vaulted ceiling up to the ridge. Rafters are 200mm deep, packed with a very hi-po wood-based insulating mat. The remaining walls (between all the glass) are 100mm conc block cavity construction and is drylined with 19mm aeroboard between battens and 12.5mm plasterboard. Cavity is filled with bead insulation. Room has UFH over 150mm polystyrene insulation. There's a balanced flue Riva 70 fire in the room too.

Now, I originally planned to put a door between this, and the kitchen, but pressure of time means I didn't get around to it. Good job. It is the hottest room in the house. Fire rarely on, or on v.low just for looks. Not unknown in winter to have to open door to outside........I have no idea what the glazing is, so call it 'standard' double glazing in uPVC windows.

IMHO, the room doesn't cost anyting to heat, and it's the one everyone migrates to. In fact, the front of the house hardly gets used at all now.
 
Thats a very subjective question....

lots of factors relevant here such as:
* spec of glazing (low e, double or triple, width of cavity, air or argon filled, thermally broken frames etc)
* orientation (northerly - southerly)
* over hangs and shading (blinds?)
* relationship between glazed area to floor area of room

large glazed areas aid passive solar heating gains on sunny days, obviously more important in winter than summer...
i didnt see that program last night but from what youve described i would nearly be more worried about overheating in summer than excessive cold in winter... depending on the orientation...
 
yes sorry, my extension faces South , so I have one East wall w/2 windows, 1 gable (lots of glass) to the South , I wall to the West w/2 windows.

300mm soffit in East and West, but 700mm soffit on gable........
 
sounds like the perfect arrangement galwaytt...

did you have architectural advise on it or is it a design DIY..???
 
I was interested to know if it is difficult heat these spaces in cold, windy, overcast weather ? And nighttime ?
 
Can I be so rude to ask what it cost? Someone I know admired that extension last night!!
 
I'll put up some pics here over the w/end for ye to get an idea of what it's like.

DIY job, but there again, steel frame extension, conc wall infill panels, dry-lined. I'm a sucker for punishment, if I'm not up to my oxters in a project I'm bored...........

Total cost........hmmm, I'd say, 22k-25k. Porcelain tiles alone cost a fortuned. (more than blockwork, actually...........)
 
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