Choosing Efficient Skylights
Creating a bright, efficient and welcoming home takes more than just opening up floor plans, choosing pleasing colors and using energy-efficient appliances. The process starts with constructing a strong building envelope, protecting it with a durable roof and adding in features that make the most of natural lighting and ventilation. New generation skylights offer natural light and ventilation and provide unique, innovative energy efficiency. Thanks to new technologies, today’s skylights put to rest the old 1980s stereotype of domed plastic bubbles that yellow with age and crack.
Modern skylight designs incorporate cutting-edge mechanics that give homeowners plenty of energy savings, tax advantages and increased property value. With those efficiencies and dollars on the line, it makes sense to consult with a reliable Monmouth County roofing contractor who will ensure a properly installed skylight maximizes natural lighting, capitalizes on effective technologies and protects the roof’s integrity.
Homeowners should spend some time thinking about their goals for the skylight. Whether it’s venting a hot room on summer afternoons or bringing in daytime light to cut down on electricity use, your goals heavily determine the type of skylight needed.
If ventilation is the goal, there are a number of efficient options that are also easy to use. Luckily, the days of needing a long, awkward pole to open a skylight are long gone; many modern skylights are operated with solar-powered wireless systems.
A simple touch of a remote-control button opens and closes the light, making the skylight a convenient, no-hassle vent. Many skylights also automatically close when rain triggers their moisture sensors, eliminating the fear of leaving a skylight open on a cloudy day.
If “daylighting” is the homeowner’s goal, today’s skylights are effective at bringing in light without creating heat gain inside the home. Tubular skylights are especially productive, relying on a series of lenses and reflectors that direct light from the roof and diffuse it into the room.
The skylight’s shape and glazing, roof slope, orientation of the home and room size also figure into the selection process. For proper proportioning, the Department of Energy recommends that a room with many windows should have a skylight that is less than five percent of the room’s total floor area. A room with few windows should have a skylight that is up to 15 percent of the area.
While finding the best skylight for a home can be daunting, there’s plenty of help available. A professional local roofer is the best source of information, but skylights also carry EnergyStar and National Fenestration Research Council rating labels that provide energy efficiency information. Have a question regarding new roofs or roof repairs? Ask the roofers from Fortified Roofing of Monmouth County NJ.
Term explained by Monmouth County NJ roofers Fortified Roofing:
Fenestration
Doors, windows, skylights and openings make up a building’s fenestrations. Affecting everything from energy use and lighting to function and ventilation, fenestrations are carefully planned out with consideration given to their size, number, arrangement, proportion and design.
Monmouth County roofers FAQ:
How much money can a homeowner save by having a skylight installed?
The exact amount varies greatly depending on the home’s size, the type of skylight selected, energy usage and location. Even so, homeowners can expect to save 7 to 15 percent on energy costs when older skylights are replaced with energy-efficient models. Some skylight installations also qualify homeowners for tax incentives and credits, so check with a reliable roofer to find out what’s available locally.
Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 8 customer reviews.
Oh My! People say such nice things!
