Skylights are becoming more popular as the energy crunch increases and the energy costs climb. House owners, especially those of large houses, are able to save quite a lot on their daytime energy bills by installing skylights.
Skylights are paned openings in the roof to let the sunlight in to the house. The sunlight warms and lights up the inner rooms which otherwise require artificial lighting even in the day.
The saving is for the electricity spent not just on lighting the interior of the house but also on heating these areas when the weather turns cold. A wall window lags far behind in comparison.
Natural sunlight opens up closed spaces, making them appear airy and spacious. The smaller rooms of the house, like the kitchen and the living room benefit greatly from this treatment. A skylight for the bathroom is a great way to increase privacy and to make bathing a pleasure in cold weather.
Indoor plants are popular ways of giving the interior areas a bit of the outdoors. But the cost of providing artificial lighting for the plants is sometimes prohibitive. Skylights let you grow plants right inside the house at no cost at all!
If you're planning on installing, or already have, skylights in your house, you should also plan for skylight blinds. You don't want to let the sun's heat in during warm weather or in summer! That will be counter-productive, and will increase cooling costs. If blinds are too expensive, then you can go for tints that do the same job as blinds, the only difference being that the tints are fixed and cannot be manipulated at will like blinds.
Skylights are designed according to the natural sunlight available in the target geographical location and the orientation of the house. Skylights designed for the tropics will not be suitable for use in temperate zones. If your house has an angled roof, then the orientation is also important to maintain energy efficiency.
You will have to compute the size of the skylight according to the area of the room you're placing it in. If the room is already well served with a number of windows, then the skylight should not exceed 5% of the floor area. Otherwise the skylight can go up to 15% of the floor area.
Skylight installation is best left to professional contractors who have the necessary equipment, experience and expertise in the field. Improper seating and sealing of the skylights can drastically affect the energy efficiency of the installation. Their expert guidance and suggestions will help you extract the maximum benefit of the skylights for your house. Of course, the standard caveat applies, that you should verify the contractor's work record with his past clients.
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In addition to controlling your electricity costs, a roof skylight will also provide many health benefits as well. And natural light can do great things for your mood. Go to www.Skylight-Guide.com to see all your choices. And if your existing skylight is damaged, you'll definitely want to get a replacement skylight before covering up the hole.
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