For most people who want to use their conservatory all year, yes. A 75 mm insulated panel roof cuts heat loss through the roof by about 80% against 16 mm polycarbonate and stops most summer overheating and condensation. Fitted prices start at £3,000. On energy savings alone the payback is slow, roughly 10 years with electric heating, so buy it for comfort, not bills.
The short version
Whether panels are worth it depends on one question: do you want a room you can sit in comfortably in January and in July? If yes, a panel roof is usually the cheapest way to get there without rebuilding the conservatory. If you mainly use the room on mild spring and autumn days and love the light, the case is weaker, and we would rather tell you that now.
What you pay
Our fitted prices include taking off and recycling the old roof, made to measure panels in your colour, fitting, the building control application and a 10 year insurance backed guarantee.
| Roof size | Typical styles | Fitted price from | Fitting time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small, up to 12 m² | Lean-to, small Edwardian | £3,000 | Usually 1 day |
| Medium, 12 to 25 m² | Edwardian, Victorian, gable end | £4,000 | 1 to 2 days |
| Large, 25 m² and over | P-shape, large Victorian | £5,000 | 2 to 3 days |
Most homes pay £3,000 to £7,500, which works out at roughly £250 to £450 per m² of roof. Optional extras are a glazed roof light at £395 each, LED spotlights at £345 and new gutters and fascia at £295. Our cost calculator gives a figure for your size and style in under a minute.
What you get back in energy: a worked example
Take a common 12 m² roof in 16 mm polycarbonate. Heat loss through a roof is the U-value times the area times the temperature difference. With 20°C inside and 0°C outside:
- 16 mm polycarbonate: 2.3 x 12 x 20 = 552 W
- 75 mm insulated panels: 0.43 x 12 x 20 = 103 W
Over a year, England averages about 2,150 heating degree days. Yearly heat loss in kWh is U x area x degree days x 24 / 1,000. That gives about 1,424 kWh for the polycarbonate roof and about 266 kWh for the panels, a difference of roughly 1,160 kWh.
| Heating the room with | Price per kWh (Ofgem cap, Oct to Dec 2026) | Yearly roof heat cost, 16 mm poly | Yearly roof heat cost, panels | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric heater | 26.32p | £375 | £70 | about £305 |
| Gas (if allowed) | 7.97p | £114 | £21 | about £92 |
These figures assume you keep the room heated through the winter like the rest of the house. Most conservatories are heated only some of the time, with an electric heater, so real savings are often lower. A £3,000 roof saving £305 a year pays back in about 10 years on electricity. On gas it would be over 30 years. That is why we never sell panels as a money-saving product alone.
The savings grow with the size of the roof and with how bad the old one is. An old pre-2002 glass roof at U 2.8 on a 16 m² conservatory loses about 2,312 kWh a year through the roof, against about 355 kWh for panels. Heated with electricity, that difference is worth around £515 a year.
What you get back in use
The better argument is simpler. A conservatory that is 8°C in winter and 38°C in summer is a room you walk through, not a room you sit in. Conservatories with polycarbonate or glass roofs regularly pass 35 to 40°C in summer. An insulated panel roof blocks direct sun on the roof, holds heat in winter, stops most condensation drips and quietens rain. In practice, people start using the room as a dining room, a playroom or an office every day of the year.
Compare that with the cost of adding a room by building an extension, and the panel roof is a small fraction of the price because the base, walls, windows and doors are reused.
How panels compare with the other options
| Option | Typical cost | Roof U-value (W/m²K) | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do nothing | £0 | 2.3 to 2.8 | Too hot and too cold, drips, noise |
| Internal insulation under the old roof | £1,000 to £3,200 (average about £2,850) | Depends on the build | Keeps the old roof above, risk of hidden condensation if badly detailed |
| New polycarbonate | £2,000 to £3,500 for 3 m x 3 m | 1.4 to 2.3 | Same heat and glare problems |
| Replacement glass roof | £3,300 to £5,200 for 3 m x 3 m | 1.0 to 1.2 | Still hot in summer, costs more than panels |
| Insulated panels (ours) | From £3,000 small, £4,000 medium | 0.43 | Darker room, building control needed |
Our conservatory roof insulation page goes into the internal options in more detail, including when they make sense.
The honest downsides
- It will be darker. The roof is opaque. The glazed walls remain, and one or two roof lights put back overhead light, but the room will not feel like a glasshouse. See will a solid roof make my conservatory dark.
- Building control is needed. The room loses its conservatory exemption. We handle the application and it is included in the price.
- It is not 0.15. Our 75 mm panel is about 0.43, a large improvement but not the 0.15 target set for a new roof in Approved Document L. We agree the spec with building control before ordering.
- It depends on the frame. Panels are light enough for most uPVC and aluminium frames, but a frame that is rotten, bowed or moving needs a full replacement roof with a new frame instead.
When panels are probably not worth it
- You already have a modern low-e glass roof (U 1.0 to 1.2) and the room is comfortable. On a 12 m² roof that loses 240 to 288 W at a 20°C difference, so the gain from panels is much smaller.
- The conservatory faces north, you use it rarely, and daylight is the main thing you value.
- The frame or base is failing. Fix the structure first.
When they are clearly worth it
- A 15 to 25 year old polycarbonate roof that is discoloured, leaking or dripping condensation.
- A south or west facing room that is unusable on sunny afternoons.
- A room you want to use every day as a dining room, office or playroom.
- A room you are heating with an electric heater for several months a year.
Next step
Put your roof size and style into the conservatory roof cost calculator for a price range, then book a free survey for a fixed written quote. We check the frame at survey, so if panels are the wrong choice for your conservatory, you hear it then.
Questions people ask
How much will insulated roof panels save on my heating bill?
For a 12 m² roof replacing 16 mm polycarbonate, about 1,160 kWh a year if the room is heated all winter. That is around £305 on electricity or £92 on gas at the October to December 2026 cap.
Do insulated conservatory roof panels add value to a house?
They can make the conservatory count as a usable room, which buyers notice. Keep the building control completion certificate, because a solicitor will ask for it.
How long do the panels last?
The panels are aluminium skins bonded to a solid foam core with no moving parts. They come with a 10 year insurance backed guarantee.
Are cheaper thin panels just as good?
No. Heat loss depends on the thickness of the insulation. Thin panels lose far more heat than a 75 mm core, which is why we fit 75 mm as standard.
