Will a Skylight Heat Up My Home?

Sometimes all a room needs to freshen it up is the proper lighting. Many people consider installing skylights in their home, whether it’s in the office, kitchen, or living room. We’ve had a few customers ask us in the past, “will a skylight heat up my home?” – and this is a valid question. However, there are a few things to consider when weighing in on whether a skylight will heat up your home or not.

Size of the skylight.

According to one source, a 2×4 foot single-paned skylight can cause your AC to use 240 extra kilowatt hours of electricity per year due to heat coming through the skylight. That might sound like a large number, but this translates to just $19 extra in cooling bills per year, based on a rate of 8 cents per kWh. And considering the benefits of skylights in your home, an extra $20 a year might not seem like such a big deal.

It’s estimated that a skylight allows greater heat loss in winter than does a traditional wall window. However, this problem can be solved by using high-grade skylights and materials that are well above code.

Size of your home.

It’s also important to consider the size of your home and how many skylights you want to have installed. Not only is it expensive to keep your home at a comfortable temperature via heating and cooling, but you also need to keep your home well-lit. While skylights might cost a few more dollars a month in heating and cooling costs, it might also save you a few dollars in lighting and electricity expenses. With a well-placed skylight, you can do without turning on any inside lights for hours longer each day – both an eco-friendly and cost-saving alternative.

Preventing a Skylight from Heating Up Your Home

Positioning

Proper positioning of your skylight upon installation is critical, and your contractor should place it in an area of your roof that gets ample shade in summer. Vented skylights are also a great option if you want to be able to open and close it to let heat escape. Avoiding direct sunlight going down the shaft with proper positioning will greatly reduce heat gain.

Protective Coating and Glazing

A professional installation crew will likely recommend that you get a covering for your skylight to eliminate heat gain and increase privacy. Skylight shades, UV protective coatings, and safety glazing are a few options to avoid heat gain. These are a great solution to this issue, while still getting the benefits of the extra light in your home.  Many of these coatings diffuse the sunlight that comes into your home.  This makes for a very nice soft light that will give your home a great cozy feel.

Insulation

Make sure that your installation contractor properly insulates your skylight so you suffer less heat loss. Proper insulation and installment will also protect you from moisture entering your home via the skylight. You’ll want to make sure that the skylight shaft is fully insulated for better home climate control.

Do You Have Experience With a Skylight Heating Up Your Home?

Comment below to share your thoughts!  And give us a call for any roofer in Livermore and roofer in San Ramon needs.

 

Other Disadvantages Of Skylights To Consider

• While a skylight can heat up your house especially in the summer, the cooler parts of the year are another story.  During those fall and winter months, you can experience heat loss from your skylight.  When you run your home’s heater to stay nice and cozy that heat with naturally rise.  Due to the structure of your skylight it becomes an area of the home that heat can easily escape from.  As your skylight ages, you’ll want to make sure that you maintain it to minimize any loss.
• They can also cause less than ideal insulation problems.  Typically the skylight shaft is not insulated.  Insulation is one of the most important things you can do in your home for climate control.  Insulation really does help regulate internal temperatures and makes a difference in your energy bills.
• Cleaning them can also become an issue depending on the height of your skylight.  If you have really tall ceilings then you will need a long ladder to get up there to clean the shaft and light.  Due to the increased amount of light they can attract bugs, spiders, and more which will need to be cleaned regularly.  Also, you will need to clean the exterior of the light on the roof.  When your roof is covered with leaves and debris it is not an issue inside your home.  With a skylight, those leaves and debris will block how much light they let in so you will need to get up there and clean them from time to time.
• They can cause leaks as well.  To create a skylight you basically have to cut a hole in your roof.  It is sealed and installed correctly but overtime those seams and joints will wear down and it is one of the most common leaks that your roof can get.  If you are experiencing a roof leak the give our professional roof leak team a call today.