Are you thinking about getting skylights for your Utah home? At Rocky Mountain Windows & Doors, we’re experts on all things windows, and that includes skylights. With so many types of skylights serving different purposes, it can be hard to tell which one is right for you and your home. That’s why we put this guide together to help you find your perfect skylight solution.
Using Skylights for Natural Light
Skylights are a great way to let a little bit of extra natural light into your home, so you can turn off some of those headache-inducing fluorescent lights and save on your electricity bill along the way. We install skylights made by Velux USA, and their fixed skylight models are perfect for those who want more natural light. In addition to the classic fixed skylight, we also offer a model that features solar powered blinds. Customers who purchase solar models may be eligible for a federal tax credit.
Velux USA’s Sun Tunnels are great for adding natural light in rooms where a skylight on its own wouldn’t work because the other side of the ceiling leads to an attic rather than directly to the outdoors. Sun Tunnels look like a normal skylight in your roof, but they have a hidden prefabricated tunnel that carries natural light through the attic and into the room below.
Depending on the placement of the window relative to the place where you want light to come in, we can install either rigid or flexible Sun Tunnels. If there’s nothing obstructing the window on the roof, a rigid Sun Tunnel will provide the best, brightest light to the room below. If there are obstacles, however, a flexible Sun Tunnel can maneuver around the obstacles to deliver natural light to your home.
When you get a Sun Tunnel in your home, an installer will start by taking measurements in the attic for where the roof and ceiling holes will go. From there, your installer will head to the roof, where they will cut a hole and install the upper portion of the Sun Tunnel. Finally, the installer will finish up inside the room where the Sun Tunnel will lead to, cutting a hole in the ceiling and installing the remaining portion of the tunnel before connecting the two holes, sealing the seams, and adding the trim ring and diffuser. From there on out, anytime the sun is out you’ll be able to light up the room without using electricity.
For our customers who can’t get enough natural light, we offer SkyMax. This model of fixed skylight is larger than any of our other models at up to 10 feet in length or 32 square feet. To get all of this natural light, you don’t even need to sacrifice energy efficiency — our skylights are specially designed to prevent air leakage.
Using Skylights for Ventilation
We all know that hot air rises, but how can you use this natural phenomenon to your advantage with a skylight?
First, it’s important to understand the stack effect. The stack effect is an airflow phenomenon in which warm air rises to the top of the house, creating positive pressure in the upper floors. The warm air at the top of the house will leak out of whatever openings it can find, whether that be through attic vents, chimneys, or skylights. As air rushes out of the top of your house, this creates negative pressure at the bottom of the house. This negative pressure pulls cool air from outside through any openings, creating a cooling effect throughout the house.
On a summer night, the air in your house may be hotter than the air outside. Opening the windows certainly helps, but with skylights you can use the stack effect to cool down your home much more efficiently. When you have a skylight open at the same time that you have first floor windows open, the hot air quickly rushes out of the skylight, pulling cool air in through the open first floor windows. This also allows the whole house to fill with fresh air, rather than the stale air that’s been trapped in the house all day.
Skylights will help you save money on cooling and ventilation because the use of the stack effect eliminates the need to run the air conditioner or fans at night or on a mild day.
When you select a skylight for the purpose of ventilation and cooling, you should make sure that the skylight is able to seal properly during the winter. While the stack effect helps you save on air conditioning in the summer, in the winter that same effect can pump the hot air you paid for right out through the top of your house. If this is a concern for you, ask us about Energy Star-certified and No Leak Velux USA skylights.
The Best Skylights in Utah for Airflow and Cooling
Now that you know how to cool your home using airflow, all you need to do is get a skylight installed and open it up. In addition to traditional, manual skylights, we can install Velux USA’s high-tech choices as well. If you qualify for a federal tax credit for solar, you may want us to install Velux USA’s solar powered skylights. During daylight hours, the solar panel will collect energy for the battery that provides power to open and close the skylight. This model also features a rain sensor that will close the window automatically. You can also get add-ons like a pre-installed solar shade, smart home automation, voice control, and automatic control.
If you’re not interested in solar power, we can install a model that has all the same features but runs on electricity from an outlet rather than on energy from the sun. Both models can be controlled through a remote.
For ultra energy efficiency, Velux USA’s E-Class model might be for you. It’s made with Energy Star-certified glass and runs on solar power as well.
When you choose Rocky Mountain Windows & Doors to install skylights in your home in Utah, you know you’re getting the best services and products. Whether you want more natural light, better home ventilation, or both, Rocky Mountain Windows & Doors has something for you.