The price for a film greenhouse is significantly cheaper than if you use glass or double-skin sheets made of plastic for your roof covering. However, there are also some quality differences in the greenhouse films that need to be taken into account depending on the planting.
How much does the film for a greenhouse cost?
The price for a film greenhouse is in the lower midfield at around €3.00/m2. Mesh films offer a good balance of stability, light transmission and thermal insulation. Pay attention to UV-stabilized films and avoid building materials department films.
In terms of price, a film greenhouse is particularly interesting for gardeners who want to start raising their young plants in the last winter months. Greenhouses of this type arenot designed for year-round use as they are often set up without additional heating. Another advantage, in addition to the low costs, is the comparatively high heat transfer of the films used. This is usually polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene (PE), the latter of which can be disposed of in a slightly more environmentally friendly way after use.
Thermal transmittance values of covering materials
Important when deciding for and against a foil house, taking into account the intended planting, is a comparison of the different roof coverings with regard to the expected thermal insulation (U-value in W/m2K). The lower the value,the smaller the thermal insulation passage will be later. Here are some examples:
| Material | Material thickness | maximum U-value |
|---|---|---|
| Bubble Wrap | 8mm | 3, 0 |
| Commercial glass | 3mm | 6, 0 |
| Coated ESG glass | 4mm | 3, 7 |
| Insulating glass | 14mm | 2, 0 |
| Heat protection glass | 24mm | 1, 1 |
| Double-wall panels (polycarbonate) | 6mm | 3, 5 |
| Triple wall panels (polycarbonate) | 16mm | 2, 3 |
| Acrylic glass (double wall panels) | 16mm | 2, 4 |
| Acrylic glass (quadruple-wall panels) | 32mm | 1, 6 |
Film greenhouse and price
The so-called grid foils have proven themselves in practice. They are very stable and tear-resistant, transparent in terms of the raw material and reinforced with different colored mesh fabrics. They are sold by the meter in garden shops. The price is in the lower midfield at around €3.00/m2, so for a 40 m roll (1.5 m wide) you can expect around €150. The prices fluctuate quite a bit seasonally, the price of the film for the greenhouse is particularly low in the summer months.
Important when buying film for greenhouses
If possible, choose a UV-stabilized garden film that only clouds slightly in sunlight and does not become brittle so quickly (light corrosion). From a mechanical point of view, grid-reinforced films last a long time, but they have the disadvantage that they negatively influence the incidence of light for the plants in the greenhouse. Commercial horticulturemainly works with a double film covering, where the light and UV permeability values are particularly favorable. The material has three layers per layer and has proven particularly useful in the cold winter months in terms of its very good insulation values.
Tip
Even if the price for greenhouse film is slightly higher, do not use the films from the building materials department for your covering. They are only suitable for packaging or covering and do not come close to achieving the desired values in terms of light transmission, aging and plant tolerance.
