Ever wondered why people install skylights, or what purpose they serve? Skylights have become a norm in the design industry and offer a surprising number of benefits. Apart from the variety of stylish designs, they are cost reductive in ways you won’t even imagine. We answer all your questions here.
What is the Purpose of Skylights?
One of the main purposes of a skylight installation Melbourne property owners pick is to keep the interior environment more comfortable, and of course, to save costs while doing so.
Skylights (sometimes called roof lights) offer both natural light and can help with ventilation. Ventilated skylights are excellent for higher buildings with fewer windows. These operable skylights release hot air, keeping your rooms cooler and more illuminated.
What Should I Know About Skylights?
One of the known benefits of skylights is the amount of natural light they bring into a room, regardless of their size. If you’re worried about too much light, or the glare of the sun, a skylight diffuser might be of interest, but very few people are familiar with this invention.
Skylight diffusers were designed to refract light in different directions during the day, ensuring even light in your room, with no harsh bursts or glares of the sun. Modern diffuser lenses are designed with clips for easy installation and easy removal if you want to clean them.
There are several factors to consider before having your skylight installed, including:
- Purpose: What is your main purpose for installing a skylight? This will influence what type you’ll need.
- Placement: If your roof design does not allow you to install a skylight in the center, you might need more than one of the smaller sizes positioned across the roof surface.
- Size & shape: The bigger the better, is a general rule of thumb when it comes to choosing a skylight. If your roof is oddly shaped, you may have to consider smaller skylights with more tubing to achieve the same effect.
- Accessories and options: Various accessories can help you achieve optimal benefits from your skylights. These should be considered carefully as they will be worth including in your initial purchase. Skylight diffusers are one of these.
5 Benefits of Skylights
The natural light that comes with skylights means less need for heating or cooling, which in return means it’s more energy efficient than normal windows with curtains or blinds. The ventilation that skylights can provide is a great start, but there are more benefits such as:
- Overall health and mood: The entry of natural light has a surprising effect on the occupants of the room. It can improve the overall mental state and productivity of employees and gives a welcoming feel to any room.
- Privacy: Especially in the corporate world, it’s a growing challenge to welcome enough light into your office while still ensuring privacy. This can easily be achieved by drawing the curtains on normal windows but using skylights.
- Roof access: If you have a hard-to-reach roof, access can easily be gained via the skylight if you install one that can open fully.
- Environmentally friendly: Ventilating skylights are great for decreasing moisture, excess heat, and VOC indoor pollutants. It improves the indoor environment as it contributes to thermal comfort. Less heating/cooling systems mean fewer carbon emissions.
- Saving energy: Skylights are excellent for saving on your electricity bill. Skylights automatically reduce the number of electric lights you would need. In the winter it still allows heat from the sun, yet in summer keeps your rooms cooler by expelling hot air. During all seasons it will reduce your need for heating and cooling systems, vastly cutting your energy usage throughout the year.
Common Problems That Occur with Skylights
As with most things in life, you need to take the good with the bad. Skylights are no exception. One of the most common problems with skylights is leakage. Other problems that you may experience are overheating and energy loss.
The consistent exposure to harsh weather conditions could cause the seals to break down over time, which will encourage leaking. Regular care and maintenance of your skylights should help prolong their lifespan and help you to catch these issues early enough. Properly installed skylights are less likely to fail within the first few years, so vendor installation is better than DIY projects in some cases.
Although the natural heat you get from skylights is helpful, if they are not carefully positioned on your roof, they can easily cause your rooms to overheat. Consult your installer to carefully choose the correct placement to avoid this being an issue. If you do find your skylight has been installed in the wrong place, skylight covers and shades are excellent to overcome this problem.
Unfortunately, many homeowners are discouraged when they hear that skylights are prone to energy loss during the winter months. Hot air rises and returns as cold air if there is no escape. Of course, rainy months will not allow you to open your skylight. To avoid energy loss during winter, spray foam or skylight tints are some tips to get the most out of your skylight during colder times.
Conclusion
Skylights remain a great attribute to your home and is an excellent investment. The health and financial benefits you gain should be highly considered if you have any doubts about whether to install skylights or not. If properly installed, correctly placed, and well maintained, skylights should last for years, making them one of the best property additions you can pick this year.
