You may have seen in the news lately talk of a change in policy that will change the way we design and build glass extensions in the future. Only the other day I read an article in the Telegraph on the very subject by a concerned conservatory owner. With more and more focus on the environment and the impact of global warming, it is no surprise that the government have recently updated their policies in the Document Part O: Overheating. This policy looks at the effect of climate change and overheating in homes. As our climate warms up overheating in our homes has become an increasingly important issue. This new and improved policy looks to tackle how our homes are built and glazed to combat this and ensure that people are living in a comfortable environment. The new policy is being introduced to restrict the glazing ratios on new homes, including conservatories, orangeries and glass room extensions being built on new build properties.  The policy doesn’t yet cover existing glass extensions or ones being built on older properties, but it is expected it will be updated to include all properties in the future.

What does the new improved Document Part O cover?

From this June (2022) all new build properties will have to pass strict building compliance rules on window sizing or pass one of two modelling methods to ensure that they will not be too hot during the summer months, rendering homes uninhabitable as temperatures rise year on year. The new rules will consider things such as room size, floor space compared to window size as well as the window aspect direction. If a new home doesn’t meet these regulations, 1 of 2 complex modelling methods will be used to analyse and calculate projected high temperatures. They will consider specifications such as ventilation, shade and the specific weather and climate where the house is being built. This of course will also include glass extensions that are built into the design or added on at a later date. Unheated conservatories that are separated from the house by walls, windows and doors may be exempt, but to ensure maximum usage of our glass rooms in the UK, heating is pretty much essential and the trend for open plan glass extensions is on the rise. So, where does that leave us Brits with our highly changeable weather, wanting to add an open plan glass space to extend our homes to gain more enjoyment and connection with the outdoors all year round?

As a specialist in glass extensions, this change is of course a subject of importance to us at Room Outside, and though it may feel like this new policy could make it harder to get the floor to ceiling glass room that you desire, all is not lost. Modifications to the sizes of windows and a larger wall to glass ratio may work out well for some to get the glass space that meets their requirements as well as the new restrictions. For others, their dream is to have more glass than wall, even removing the frames entirely to create a contemporary all-glass space.  If that is your dream, then there is a solution – our New Generation Glass!

New Generations Glass – decreases heat, glare and UV rays from the sun

Exclusive to Room Outside in the UK, originally imported from America, our New Generation Glass is far superior to anything else on the UK market. The American climate is even more severe than what we experience here in the UK, and so the original “Wonderglass” was already manufactured by Four Season USA to withstand extremely hot climates.  Since then, we have improved it further to meet the challenges of the ever-changeable British weather to create our New Generation Glass.  This high performance, temperature control glass can be specified for any of our glass buildings. We have even developed a specialist structural version to be used within our frameless glass box extensions, to give you both the climate control and anti-glare properties, while also providing the structural soundness needed to build and support a room made entirely of glass. The use of this glass along with other insulation and ventilation specifications will mean that you can still design and build your new orangery or conservatory, with help of our expert designers, to meet the document O: Overheating modelling standards, while including the level of glazing you require. Creating a high spec glass design will of course mean that you will need the overheating modelling analysis, but the result will mean that you can have your dream design that meets the standards on a new build property or an existing property when the rules are updated in the future. While this glass is a premium product, the investment will be worth it, allowing you to meet the standards without having to compromise your design and you will be able to enjoy your new space whatever the weather.

More about New Generation Glass

• Helps regulate the amount of solar energy that enters a building during the summer, reducing the heat and stopping your glass room from becoming unbearable and overheating.
• Its unique properties control the light levels as well as the loss and gain of heat from the room, therefore reducing the need for additional heating and air conditioning.
• Our NGG roof units will reflect up to 86% of the sun’s rays, meaning that the sun’s heat is reflected or absorbed by the glass, reducing heat build-up in the summer months.
• Our roof glass blocks virtually all harmful UV rays to help reduce not just the risk to you and your family, but also by helping to prevent damage to soft furnishings.
• Keeps your glass room comfortable in winter by using warm edge technology with a spacer bar that is up to 950 times less conductive than aluminium, thereby increasing internal temperatures around the edges, and vastly improving insulation.
• The U-Value is under 1.0 depending on the option selected by our designers (measured in Watts per m2 per kelvin. The lower the U value, the warmer in winter the room will be).
• The glass has a specially developed Low-E coating, and the double-glazed units are filled with Argon gas to further enhance the efficiency of the glass.
• We can also treat your roof glass with our specialist polymeric resin treatment, which is applied to seal and protect the exterior of roof glass surfaces, creating a non-stick service helping it to stay clean for longer and easier to remove dirt and staining.

Find out more about NGG here and watch our Tunnel of Heat demonstration video, showing the heat-reducing efficiency of the glass.