Having one or more skylights installed in your home does not only make your home more aesthetically pleasing to live in and can also make it extremely attractive to potential buyers should you ever wish to sell your property, they can also serve other useful additional purposes such as increasing the amount of daylight and, indeed, sunlight as well as providing you with an extra source of ventilation if it’s extremely hot. Furthermore, many people who need the additional space for things like an office or study when they might not have enough spare rooms will often choose to have their loft or another area of the house converted to create an additional work or recreational space or even an extra bedroom and a skylight can really help in these situations. There are, however, certain things you should consider to ensure that the skylight you install is going to be the best option for your type of property.
Energy Performance
Energy performance is one of the most critical aspects in choosing to have a skylight installed. You’ll need to consider the design of your home and the climate in relation to the energy saving performance that can be gained from its installation. Ultimately, you’ll want it to help minimise your energy costs and it’s only through its location and correct installation that you’ll be able to achieve this.
Reducing Heating Bills
A well situated and professionally installed skylight will enable you to keep your heating costs down by it being installed where you’re likely to benefit from the increased amount of daylight that can enter the interior of the house which, as a direct consequence, will provide an additional source of natural heating through harnessing the power of the sun’s rays.
Reducing Air Conditioning Costs Or The Costs Of Keeping Fans Running
Equally, you may live in a climate where you want it to provide you with additional ventilation capabilities when the weather’s extremely hot. Therefore, you’ll want to choose one which will also let the most air permeate through your house whilst at the same time, you’ll want it to have additional features such as being able to add a temporary window blind or removable covering which, whilst still allowing the air to circulate, will prevent the effects of the power of the sun’s rays from adding to the interior temperature which will defeat the object of trying to reduce any cooling bills as the result of using air conditioning or running a number of electrical fans.
Reducing Lighting Costs
Additionally, you’ll want to situate your skylight where it’s most practical but you’ll also want it to maximise the amount of time it will enable you to benefit from the increased amount of daylight hours in the late spring and summer months. This will also enable you to keep costs down in terms of the number of electrical lights you’d need to switch on and the time you’d need to switch them on.
Professional skylight manufacturers and fitters will be able to give you sound advice on the best type of skylight to suit your needs and it’s worth shopping around, getting a few quotes and also gauging different opinions from several companies first. Obviously, your choice is usually going to be primarily around not only the practicalities of why you want or need a skylight fitting in the first place but also what the main purpose of it will be in terms of cost savings. For example, if you were living abroad in a primarily tropical climate where the weather was warm or hot all year round or most of the year, then ventilation properties are likely to be a major consideration whilst, perhaps, here in the UK, you’re more likely to be concerned in the heating aspects of skylights in terms of how much you can save on your energy bills as a direct consequence of using the sun’s power and the longer hours of daylight in the spring and summer months to keep heating and lighting costs down.
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