If you want to sit in your conservatory in every season, it usually is. Our 75 mm panel roof removes around 80% of the heat that escapes through 16 mm polycarbonate, and it ends most summer overheating and winter drips. Prices begin at £3,000 fitted. Energy savings alone pay it back slowly, about 10 years on electric heat, so comfort is the real reason to buy.
Our view in two minutes
It comes down to a simple test. Would you like a room that is pleasant on a January evening and a July afternoon? If so, a panel roof is normally the least expensive way to get one without pulling the conservatory down. If you mostly sit out there on gentle spring and autumn days and adore the light, the argument is thinner, and at Eco Tech we would sooner say so on the phone than after a survey.
What people get back day to day
This is the stronger reason. A room that sits at 38°C in July and 8°C in January is a corridor, not somewhere to sit. With a glass or polycarbonate roof, 35 to 40°C on a summer day is common. An insulated panel roof keeps direct sun off the room, holds warmth in winter, stops most condensation and softens the sound of rain. Customers tell us the room turns into a dining room, a playroom or a home office that gets used all year.
Set that against building an extension and the difference is large. The base, walls, windows and doors stay, so a panel roof costs a small fraction of a new room.
The price
Every price includes taking away the old roof for recycling, UK made panels cut to size in your colour, the fitting itself, plus our 10 year insurance backed warranty through HomePro.
| Size of roof | Usual shapes | Fitted from | Days on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small, to 12 m² | Lean-to or compact Edwardian | £3,000 | Normally one |
| Medium, 12 to 25 m² | Gable end, Victorian or Edwardian | £4,000 | One or two |
| Large, 25 m² upwards | P-shape or big Victorian | £5,000 | Two or three |
Most homes spend £3,000 to £7,500, roughly £250 to £450 per m². Extras are optional: £395 for each glazed roof light, £345 for LED spotlights and £295 for new gutters and fascia. For your own size and shape, the roof price calculator produces a figure in about a minute.
Energy savings, worked through
Let us use a typical 12 m² roof of 16 mm polycarbonate. Roof heat loss equals U-value multiplied by area multiplied by the temperature gap. At 20°C inside and 0°C outside:
- Polycarbonate at 16 mm: 12 m² x 20°C x 2.3 = 552 W
- Our 75 mm panels: 12 m² x 20°C x 0.43 = 103 W
For a full year we use England's average of about 2,150 heating degree days. To get annual kWh, multiply U-value, area, degree days and 24 together, then divide by 1,000. The polycarbonate roof comes to about 1,424 kWh and the panel roof to about 266 kWh, so roughly 1,160 kWh is saved.
| Fuel used to heat the room | Unit price, Ofgem cap October to December 2026 | Panel roof, yearly heat cost | 16 mm polycarbonate, yearly heat cost | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | 26.32p | £70 | £375 | roughly £305 |
| Gas (where permitted) | 7.97p | £21 | £114 | roughly £92 |
Those numbers assume the conservatory is kept warm all winter, as you would the lounge. In reality most are heated now and then with a plug-in heater, so the true saving is often smaller. Saving £305 a year, a £3,000 roof takes around 10 years to pay for itself on electricity, and more than 30 years on gas. That is the reason we never pitch panels purely as a way to cut bills.
Bigger roofs and worse starting points save more. Take a 16 m² conservatory under pre-2002 glass at U 2.8: its roof lets out around 2,312 kWh each year, against around 355 kWh once panels go on. On electric heating that gap is worth about £515 a year.
Panels against the alternatives
| Choice | Usual cost | Roof U-value (W/m²K) | Biggest catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave it as it is | £0 | 2.3 to 2.8 | Hot, cold, drippy and loud |
| Insulation fitted under the existing roof | £1,000 to £3,200 (about £2,850 on average) | Varies with the build | Old roof stays on top; poor detailing can hide condensation |
| Fresh polycarbonate | £2,000 to £3,500 on a 3 m square roof | 1.4 to 2.3 | Heat and glare remain |
| New glass roof | £3,300 to £5,200 on a 3 m square roof | 1.0 to 1.2 | Costs more than panels and the summer heat stays |
| Eco Tech insulated panels | Small from £3,000, medium from £4,000 | 0.43 | Room is darker and the frame must be sound |
For the under-roof options and when they are sensible, see our page on insulating a conservatory roof. If you are weighing fresh sheets, our polycarbonate vs insulated panels comparison runs the ten year figures.
The drawbacks, plainly
- Less light. A solid roof lets none through. The glazed walls stay, and one or two roof lights restore some light from above, but it will not feel like a greenhouse any more. Read whether a solid roof makes a conservatory too dark.
- Not 0.15. At about 0.43, our 75 mm panel is a big gain but falls short of the 0.15 that Approved Document L sets for a new roof.
- A sound frame is needed. Most uPVC and aluminium frames carry panels easily, but if the frame is rotten, bowed or moving, the answer is a new frame and a full replacement roof.
When we would say it clearly pays
- A polycarbonate roof 15 to 25 years old that has discoloured, leaks or drips.
- A south or west facing room you cannot sit in on sunny afternoons.
- A space you plan to use daily as an office, playroom or dining room.
- A room you run a plug-in electric heater in for months each winter.
When we would talk you out of it
- You already have low-e glass rated 1.0 to 1.2 and the room feels fine. Over 12 m², that glass lets out between 240 and 288 W when it is 20°C warmer inside, so panels gain you far less.
- The room faces north, sees little use and you mostly value the light.
- The base or frame is failing. Sort the structure out first.
Finding out for your conservatory
Enter your size and shape in the roof price calculator for a range, then ask Eco Tech for a free quote. We look at the frame on the survey, so if panels are not right for your conservatory, we tell you at that point.
Questions people ask
What will an insulated roof save on heating?
Swapping 16 mm polycarbonate on a 12 m² roof saves roughly 1,160 kWh a year, assuming you heat the room through every winter month. At the Ofgem cap for late 2026 that is worth about £305 with electric heating or £92 with gas.
Will insulated roof panels increase what my house is worth?
A conservatory with a panel roof can count as a proper room, which buyers pick up on, and a warm, quiet space shows far better on viewings.
What lifespan should I expect from the panels?
Each panel is a solid foam core between aluminium skins, with nothing to wear out mechanically. Every roof we fit carries a 10 year insurance backed warranty.
Are thinner, cheaper panels just as good?
No. How much heat escapes is set by how deep the insulation is, and thin cores let out much more than 75 mm, which is why 75 mm is our standard.
