Skylights are a functional and aesthetic addition to most modern homes. They are primarily meant to allow more natural lighting into the interior of a home, but they also complement the architectural beauty of the home. Before installing skylights in your house, there are many essential considerations you will need to make. Consider these important factors before making any decisions.
Placement of the skylights
The location of skylights is perhaps the biggest factor to consider before getting started with the installation job. You will need to position skylights on the part of the rooftop where they will be able to receive the most uninterrupted sunlight throughout the daytime. This way, darker rooms or areas of your home will be sufficiently well lit by natural light.
Ensuring proper placement of skylights is also critical to minimise the sun's glare. You wouldn't want to strain your eyes while working on a computer or watching TV because there is too much glare coming from the sun through the windows installed above.
Ventilation within the house
From a functional viewpoint, skylight windows are a source of natural light, but they can also allow streams of fresh air into your living space if need be. If you are looking to add an airy feel to a dark, stuffy room, installing opening or vented skylights would be the way to go. With opening skylights, you simply open your windows when you need fresh air. Vented skylights, on the other hand, are equipped with mechanised vents that help improve airflow within your home.
Energy performance
Like several other homeowners, you are probably also looking for ways to minimise your energy expenses. Are your aware that your choice of skylight windows can impact your home's overall energy efficiency? In terms of energy performance, skylights aren't designed the same.
In general, double-glazed windows are more energy-efficient than their single-glazed counterparts. And in warmer climates, windows with a lower shading coefficient perform better when it comes to preventing unwanted solar heat gain in the home. The shading coefficient is the ratio of the amount of solar heat passes through a particular type of glass over that passing through clear glass. So choose carefully if energy efficiency matters to you.
With these considerations in mind, you should be able to get the most out of your skylight window installation project. All of these issues are why you need to work with professionals when installing skylights.