Winter gardens extend autumn and bring spring into your house earlier. Furthermore, cleverly planned winter gardens let you heat your living space and improve your energy balance.

On the other hand, planning errors for your winter garden can make it an energy hog. Here again, advance planning saves money and energy.

Winter garden guide

• A winter garden requires a building permit.
• Approval of neighbors might be required.
• Caution: A winter garden increases the value of your property, so adapt your insurance.
• At the start of planning, decide how it will be used: only in summer, year-round as additional living space, etc.
• A winter garden helps to save energy only if it is used as a buffer zone; therefore:
  
  
  • separate completely from living space
  • use as living space in spring and autumn, otherwise as a vestibule for ventilating and heating the living space
  • insulate the wall between winter garden  and living space as all other outside walls
• Orient the winter garden to the south or southwest, ideally two stories tall, and consider the seasonal change in the sun’s path.
• The roof should not be glass but of solid material; this helps to prevent overheating in summer and provides thermal protection in the winter.
• Avoid sloped glazing.
• Dual glazing is recommended to protect plants from frost.
• If you will heat the winter garden, ensure very good insulating glass.
• Watch the costs. Sloped glazing costs more.
• Shadow effects via (deciduous) trees and shrubs protects against overheating in summer.
• Ca. 10% of the glass area should be planned for ventilation in the summer.
• We recommend cross-ventilation, ventilation openings at the very top and bottom.