Basic information about skylights to help you decide if you want a skylight and which one is right for your home.
The right skylight will bring brightness, warmth and life to your room. The wrong skylight will cause environmental problems, cost you money and throw off the balance of the room. Before you decide that a skylight is right for your home, use the following guidelines to decide if it’s the right choice for you and then to make the right selection.
Size – The rule of thumb is that a skylight will illuminate a room 20 times its size. The temptation is sometimes to go with a big skylight to bring more light into the room, but bigger isn’t always better. A large skylight will not only bring in too much light, it will also bring in too much heat and may make the room feel uncomfortably like a greenhouse.
Placement – If you live in a hot climate you need to carefully consider the placement because it’s very easy to get too much warmth. A northern or possibly an eastern exposure is usually the best. Colder climates do not usually have this problem, but you know your home and the sun exposure better than anyone else.
Placement 2 – If possible, depending upon your home’s layout and the room’s specifications, you should place skylights as close to the ridge of the roof as possible. This will limit the effects of rain and snow on the light’s flashing.
Reflected Light – A straight skylight will provide more direct and focused heat. A wide and angled skylight is usually a better choice as it disburses the light and heat throughout the room. Remember that walls around the light should be splayed to further reflect the light. Adding insulation is usually necessary.
Energy Efficient – When buying make sure you’re getting energy efficient windows. Depending on the age of your home and windows and the climate you live in, much of your winter heat can be escaping through your windows. If you’re adding a new window you want to make sure it's as efficient as possible. Look for low-E coatings, a low U-factor and low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient glass. You should also avoid plastic glazing.
Shading – Having a skylight that incorporates a shade is considerably more expensive but it is a very nice feature to have. If you don’t want to buy this type of skylight, consider creating your own shading for those very hot summer days.
Functionality – A skylight that opens can be a real boon and may greatly improve ventilation and cooling in your home. Again, this feature is a bit expensive, especially if you’re still looking for the most air tight type possible, but it may be well worth the added expense.
Tubular Option – If you’d still like a skylight but don’t want to go through all of the expense, try a tubular skylight. These lights are smaller and easier to install. They provide a very focused light but the size limits the amount of heat that is brought into the room.
Skylights are a very useful tool if you’re looking for more natural ways to light and heat your home and when done properly they’re incredibly attractive interior decorating features.
