Benefits of a Home Skylight

If you want to improve your house's energy efficiency and make it look more attractive, you might consider installing skylight windows. Here are several benefits to help you decide whether such an upgrade is right for you.

More Daylight

A skylight will allow more daylight to stream into your home because these openings are ideally positioned. Facing upwards, skylights can capture up to three times more light than a similar-sized vertical window. The reason for this is that a skylight typically receives direct illumination. In contrast, a vertical window often captures reflected light from the ground and nearby objects outside the window. Thus, if you want a brighter home, a skylight is perfect. With extra brightness, you can rely less on artificial light in the daytime.

Privacy

A skylight allows you to bring light into your home without compromising privacy. Vertical windows are not always feasible. Consider a bathroom, for example, where you need to preserve privacy. Even in other living areas, you probably don't want neighbours or passersby peering into your home. In these situations, a skylight can help. Overhead lighting is the only option in some rooms that don't face a vertical wall, such as a powder room in the middle of the house.

Airflow

Hot hair naturally rises. Thus, in your home, it will tend to gather around the ceilings. If you have a two-storey house, it will float upwards towards the second storey. Skylight windows in an attic will allow hot, humid air to waft outside. You can install them in the bathroom to remove excess humidity. Your bathroom will then be more hygienic and grow less mould. Another ideal place for a skylight is in the kitchen. Opening the skylight will help eliminate food odours that can otherwise get trapped in the house for hours.

Spaciousness

A skylight also has aesthetic benefits for a home. It makes rooms feel more open and spacious. Firstly, areas with free-flowing light tend to feel bigger. Conversely, darkly lit rooms often seem smaller. A skylight also helps engender spaciousness because it breaks up the solid ceiling and offers an extended view of the sky. Even if the skylight has a ceiling diffuser that you can't clearly see through, it provides a sense of depth and a hint of space beyond.

Light Control 

You may wonder how you can take control of the incoming light with a skylight. First, you can buy window coverings such as blinds specifically designed for skylights. Additionally, the ceiling diffuser can soften and scatter the incoming rays. The capture of light can also be controlled from the point of view of the roof. Contractors can install skylights with diverse profiles in different spots on the roof to alter the light capture. For example, they can install a skylight that won't attract light from directly overhead. But it will allow angled light from the horizon to enter through the skylight, so you can enjoy morning and late afternoon sunshine, for example. Ask your contractor about the possible options.


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