When our homes do not get enough natural light, rooms tend to look dark and frigid, which affects our mood and overall well-being. Not to mention making the house look unappealing. This is where the advantages of skylights come in.
Skylights bring in an abundant amount of natural light, which helps illuminate your entire living space. With skylights, you don’t need to rely on artificial lights all the time, therefore, reducing your energy consumption. Getting a healthy amount of sun exposure has an immediate impact on our bodies. The vitamin D from the morning sun helps regulate our energy levels and moods.
Aside from natural light, skylights also help improve the air circulation in your home – which allows you to enjoy the fresh air and let the stale air out. Proper ventilation also has a positive impact on our health and wellness. Musty air and moisture encourage mould and mildew build-up, which trigger allergic rhinitis and other illnesses.
The extraordinary advantages of skylights outweigh the disadvantages that people point out. They are an excellent investment that transforms your house into an aesthetically pleasing and sustainable home. Let’s examine the pros and cons of skylights.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Skylights
Like all things in life, there are pros and cons with skylights. It’s just a matter of the pros outweighing the cons when making a huge investment such as skylights. The advantages and disadvantages of skylights include:
Advantages:
- Enjoy an abundant amount of natural light and the many benefits of skylights. Natural light helps produce happy hormones and is also an excellent source of vitamin D.
- Skylights can increase the resale value of your home. Skylights provide a positive impact on the architectural appeal of your home since this feature is greatly favoured by potential buyers who seek a sustainably-designed home. And with all the added functional benefits of skylights, they help boost the value of your property.
- Intelligently placed skylights can help to reduce your energy consumption. Aside from saving money on electricity, you also save on general utility and heating costs. As the glass of the skylights heats up, the law of physics dictates that the surplus of heat will radiate either inside or outside the house, whichever part is cooler.
Disadvantages:
- If not installed properly, a skylight could leak, with water potentially seeping into the wall or ceiling of a room, which can lead to damage. That is why you must let a professional install your skylights.
- Skylights are more expensive compared to traditional windows. Nevertheless, the added benefits you get to enjoy with skylights, including reduced cost of utility bills, make them an excellent investment that is worth every penny.
Advantages of Skylights for Sleep Patterns and Health
One of the most surprising advantages of skylights is the impact natural light provides on your sleep patterns and overall health and well being. Skylights allow the sun to serve as a natural alarm clock, helping regulate your circadian rhythm (sleep cycles) and boost your sense of well-being. And as we all know, getting 8-hours of sleep on a regular basis has a huge impact on our mood and health.
The Advantages of Fixed Skylights
Deciding to install skylights is a no-brainer. They add natural light without sacrificing precious wall space – and by extension, floor space as well. Fixed skylights are the least expensive and most watertight type of skylight.
As the name suggests, fixed skylights cannot be opened, which is not necessarily a bad thing. They are considered to be the most leak-proof type of skylight available on the market today. When installed properly, they are in the position to catch the natural light during the sun’s highest points. This allows you to not only get an abundant amount of natural light but also receive heat insulation.
Health Benefits of Operable Skylights
Operable skylights, on the other hand, provide fresh air on demand. They allow air to circulate inside your home by letting stale air out and bringing in the fresh air, which works wonders for bathrooms, where moisture can cause mould and mildew build-up. They are also perfect in the kitchen area since they offer additional task lights and provide added ventilation, which helps in letting the smoke out. Having a constant flow of fresh air also helps reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis that come from air pollutants.
Advantages of Square Skylights Over Tubular Skylights
There are three main types of skylights – fixed, operable, and tubular skylights. Fixed and operable skylights are usually square, while tubular skylights are dome-shaped and capture sunlight on the roof and reflect it down a tube into a fixture on the ceiling.
Square skylights are the preferred choice since they can be installed on all types of roofs of various pitches, while tubular skylights are commonly designed for conventional roofs and require a shaft during installation.
What Are the Best Types of Skylight to Install?
Fixed and operable skylights are the best types of skylights as they are highly flexible and can be easily fitted on both new construction and modern renovation projects. Opt for skylights that are made from laminated glass panes like the ones Vivid Skylights carry. Laminated glass panes provide an additional safety feature since if the glass breaks, it will hold together and not shatter into pieces.
Vivid Skylights are available in a variety of standard sizes. Our skylights are made from a strong aluminium frame with a black powder-coated finish and can be installed to have a frame or frameless glass finish internally.
Should I install a Skylight?
Although the cost of installing skylights is a bit steep – if one asks – should I install a skylight? The answer is yes. Skylights provide a plethora of benefits that make them an excellent investment. There’s nothing like the benefits you get to enjoy from an abundant amount of natural light. From the aesthetic appeal they add to the functional benefits they provide, there is no reason not to install one today.
Browse through the collection of Vivid skylights products, and let us know if you have any questions regarding skylight installation.