Skylight Can Lighten, Cool Room
QUESTION: My neighbor installed a skylight in her family room and it really made the room look much larger and brighter. There are so many different skylight designs available, which would be the best for my home?
ANSWER: Installing a skylight can make a dramatic improvement in any room and can increase your home’s resale value. Not only will a skylight reduce the need for electric lights, but a new super-high-efficiency one can ventilate and cool your room in the summer and capture free solar heat in the winter.
It is very important to select a skylight with the proper design features for durability and energy efficiency. Don’t just choose one that is on sale. Select the proper size for your room. An undersized skylight does not provide enough light and an oversized one may look bad and cause glare.
A venting skylight (one that opens) installed in your ceiling will naturally vent the hottest air from your room. This is particularly effective when you don’t air-condition in the fall and spring because the evening and morning air is cool. Many skylights are designed so that when they are only partially opened, rain is still blocked from coming in.
You can get either a manual crank or electric motor-operated venting skylight. The electric models operate from a wall switch. You can even get a water-sensing switch to close vent automatically when it rains. Since skylights close on compression weatherstripping, they are extremely airtight.
The most efficient type of glazing is low-emissivity (low-e) argon-gas-filled insulated glass. The low-e coating reduces heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. It also blocks most of the sun’s fading rays. The argon gas between the panes save more energy and blocks outdoor noise.
Although glass provides the most clear and distortion-free view, domed multi-layer insulated plastic glazing (often acrylic or polycarbonate) is efficient. The view is slightly distorted, but the amount of light coming in is unaffected and the skylights are virtually unbreakable.
You have several options of materials for the skylight frame and curb. The most common materials are vinyl, aluminum, fiberglass and clad wood. Fiberglass is one of the strongest materials and shows little thermal expansion and contraction. If you select aluminum, make sure it has a thermal break to avoid energy loss and wintertime condensation.
You can install one of several types of easy-to-open insulated shades for your skylight to save during both summer and winter. In my home, I also mount a lightweight magnetically attached clear plastic storm window immediately under my low-e argon-gas-filled skylight in the winter.
You can write to me at the address below for Utility Bills Update No. 215 showing a buyer’s guide of skylights, listing manufacturers, venting or fixed, glazing type, frame and curb materials, and a chart showing recommended sizes for various rooms. Please include $1.50 and a self-addressed business-size envelope.
