If your home lacks natural light, you might be thinking about adding skylights as a way to get more light into dark rooms. While skylights are a great way to add light, what else can they bring to your home? Find out the biggest benefits of adding skylights.
Fresh Air
Just as skylights add light to your home, they can also add fresh air by venting open. This can help regulate the temperature within your home by increasing air circulation in dense rooms, which otherwise lack ventilation.
When thinking of a skylight for ventilation purposes, look to rooms that need more ventilation than they have. For example, bathrooms are a good choice as the skylight becomes another way to ventilate the bathroom during shower time.
Natural Light
Natural light from a skylight is the main benefit to adding skylights in the home. You will get more light if you have a sun exposure, so skylights may not make a lot of sense if your home is surrounded by trees. The extra natural light from skylights can actually lower your electricity use and improve your mood, especially if you are susceptible to seasonal affective disorder – all great reasons to consider adding skylights in the home.
There is a consideration with light entering the home, and that’s solar heat. Solar heat gain is your friend in the winter, as it brings warmth into the house — and might lower your energy bills — but the heat can make the home uncomfortable during summer.
The southern side of the house gets the most light. In the summer, rooms can become uncomfortably hot due to solar heat gain. You’ll either need to shade the skylight or offset the heat gain with fans or air conditioning – which can be an extra expense.
Skylights placed on the north side add light without heat, while those placed on east or west sides add a moderate amount of light and heat.
While skylights have several advantages, they can leak if they are not installed properly. For this reason, you must work with a licensed contractor who has experience installing skylights. At Brandstetter’s KangaRoof, we have worked with skylights for over 15 years. We can install top of the line skylights for you or replace old skylights with efficient models. To learn more or get a free estimate, contact us today.
