Lighten up Your Home With Skylights and Sun Tunnels
The benefits of skylights and sun tunnels go far above that of the conventional. They provide ventilation for your home, free daylight, added value, and can provide a unique look. It is said that having an insufficient amount of sunlight is linked directly to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). People suffering from SAD may have less energy, bigger appetites, and depression. Lighting plays a huge role in the feel and livability of a room. By adding a little bit of light, you can change the whole dynamic of an area.
Benefits of Installing a Skylight:
- UV deflection and protection
- Eliminates direct sunlight and hot spots
- Evenly distributes natural light
- Increases concentration and productivity
- Adds aesthetic appeal to your home
- Fills your room with fresh air
Skylight Energy Facts
Artificial lighting is one of the largest sources of energy consumption in commercial and industrial applications. On average, artificial lighting accounts for 40% of the building’s total energy. Utilizing skylights in your home or work area have been shown to significantly reduce these energy costs through the benefits of day lighting. With proper design, the cost of skylights is paid back often in less than two years. This is because high visible light transmittance acrylic skylights allow artificial lighting to be turned off on average of 70% – 80% of the time.
What Shapes Do Skylights Come In?
- Rectangular
- Circular
- Oval
- Diamond
- Triangular
- Multi-sided
- Tubular
Skylights are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Before selecting a skylight for your home, you need to determine what type of skylight will work best and where to improve your home’s energy efficiency. It’s a good idea to understand the energy performance ratings of skylights if you don’t already.
You can then determine what energy performance ratings you need for your skylight based on your climate and home’s design. The physical size of the skylight greatly impacts the illumination level and temperature of the space below. As a rule of thumb, the skylight size should never be more than 5 percent of the floor area in rooms with many windows and no more than 15 percent of the room’s total floor area for spaces with few windows.
Positioning Your Skylight
You should also consider a skylight’s position in order to maximize day lighting and/or passive solar heating potential. Below is how the position of the skylight will affect your home’s temperature and illumination of daylight.
- North facing, provide fairly constant but cool illumination
- East facing, provide maximum light and solar heat gain in the morning
- West facing, provide afternoon sunlight and heat gain
- South facing, provide the greatest potential for desirable winter passive solar heat gain than any other location, but often allow unwanted heat gain in the summer.
We recommend the installation of VELUX skylights in our clients’ homes. The VELUX deck mounted and curb mounted products have The “No Leak” Skylight. It carries the new 10-year installation warranty plus 20 years on glass, 10 years on product, and five years on blinds and controls. Features include 3 layers of water protection – advanced LoE3 glass for better energy efficiency, higher visible light transmittance, and improved solar heat gain performance – money-saving pre-finished white frames and sashes – pre-mounted brackets for quick installation of sunscreen blinds – lower roof profile with an updated curved architectural design – and a neutral gray color to blend with most roof materials and colors.
Types of Skylights
Next you can see what type of skylight would fit your needs best for your area in your home. They are:
Fixed Skylight – Model QFT
An economical choice for visually expanding areas such as hallways, stairwells, and other closed-in dark spaces that can be transformed with daylight and sky views.
- Pre-finished white paintable interior.
- Cut-flush curbs available.
- Energy efficient LoE2 dual pane with argon.
Manual Venting skylight – Model QVT
An economical solution for bringing abundant natural light and fresh air into the home.
- Opens and closes manually with VELUX control rods.
- Pre-finished white paintable interior.
- Cut-flush curbs available.
- Energy efficient LoE2 dual pane with argon.
Manual venting skylight – model QVT
An economical solution for bringing abundant natural light and fresh air into the home.
- Opens and closes manually with VELUX control rods.
- Pre-finished white paintable interior.
- Cut-flush curbs available.
- Energy efficient LoE2 dual pane with argon.
Electric Venting Skylight – Model QET
Designed for out of reach applications to bring in abundant natural light and opens to let in fresh air with the touch of a button. As stale, humid air is released, homes feel comfortable anytime day or night. Wall-mountable slim line remote control included.
- Wall mounted keypad is optional.
- Pre-attached motor and transformer.
- Pre-finished white paintable interior.
- Single hard wire that connects into a standard junction box.
- Only uses .5 amp of power and does not require a designated circuit.
- Dual rain sensors automatically close the skylight during inclement weather.
- Energy efficient LoE2 dual pane with argon.
The VELUX Sun Tunnel skylight is optically engineered to capture light through a high impact dome on the roof. The light rays travel through a highly reflective tunnel, transmitting a pure natural light with no color shift. The diffuser assembly at the ceiling distributes natural light evenly into the room while limiting bright spots and glare.
Places in Your Home You Will Benefit from Installing a Sun Tunnel
- Closets
- Hallways
- Stairways
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Laundry Rooms
VELUX, provided to you by Lindus Construction, have been around for the last 65 years and their company was founded on a vision of daylight, fresh air and increasing your quality of life. VELUX is consistently rated the #1 skylight in the industry by builders, remodelers and architects. Quality is a major priority at VELUX which is represented by an industry first 10-year “No Leak” warranty. Installing an ENERGY STAR® qualified VELUX Sun Tunnel today will decrease your carbon footprint by about 7-15% compared to non-qualified products.
Positive Effects of a Sun Tunnel
- Reduces energy costs, energy consumption and the demand for unsustainable power
- Makes your interior spaces appear larger
- Will increase your homes sales appeal
- Brings the outdoors in
- Balances the light in the room, reducing glare and transforming living areas into more open, safer spaces
For more information about our skylight and sky tunnel installation services, and how they can lighten up your home, contact us today.
