Skylights can be an ideal way to bring in natural light into your home. They will also be a source of thermal leakage that can bring in the heat along with the light or have surfaces that allow the heat from a home to escape. That is the reason energy rated skylights are to be preferred for any installation in a home.
Skylights bring in about five times more light than conventional windows and can help you to reduce your heating bill because of the heat from solar energy. Kitchens and dining rooms are the most preferred for skylight installations though even bathrooms can be lighted to advantage. Skylights can also help for the growing of indoor gardens, and reduce any need for artificial grow lights.
Energy rated skylights are an ideal way to minimize the costs of lighting, heating, and cooling. It is important, however, to see that the design or plan of the home is suited to the requirement of skylights and that they are installed in the correct manner. The size of the skylight has a direct effect on any energy savings that will give them the required rating. The area of the skylight should not be more than 5% where a room has other windows, but if the windows provided are not enough than this percentage can be increased to 15%. The heat coming into a home from a skylight can also depend on the orientation of the skylight. A skylight facing north in the northern hemisphere will be cool, whereas any skylight facing east will bring in a lot of the morning sun, while one facing west can heat a room from the afternoon sun. South facing skylights are ideal for winters but can heat up rooms in summer.
You can increase the energy rating of skylights through the use of special panels or films to control temperature, but these can reduce the amount of light coming in. Skylights can benefit from the installation of blinds, but you will have to consider methods to control these blinds from floor level. The slope of a skylight can also have an effect on the amount of heat that it allows in. A low slope will let in the summer sun while keeping out the winter sun. Ideally, the slope of a skylight should be the same as the latitude of the geographical area your home is in.
The shape of the skylights can also affect energy ratings, as can the type of glazing used and the methods you have for controlling the opening and closing of skylights.
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