This summer I have converted our non-orchid greenhouse (used for propagating garden and overwintering garden plants) into an orchid house for warm growing species. Top of my agenda has been energy efficiency and so I have been looking at different double glazing options.

Perspex seemed an obvious choice but quotes suggest over £1000 for this 8ftx6ft lean to greenhouse – crikey! no thanks. I have opted for 1mm flexible clear PVC sheet – for less than £200 – which is a little harder to work with but looks promising.

The sheet is properly clear (I will let you know how long that lasts) and relatively easy to fit. I have lined the greenhouse in treated softwood batten (mostly free offcuts from a nearby sawmills) stapled on the PVC sheet, and then sealed with a second layer of battens. The sheet is commonly used for energy saving industrial draught curtains, so it makes a great secondary strip door on the greenhouse too.

I am keeping the greenhouse at 18C and will let you know how the experiment goes this winter. With double glazing and the warm west facing wall I am hoping for minimal energy use, offset by the solar panels on our roof.