Nothing emphasizes a home’s beauty more than natural full-spectrum sunlight. It affects our moods and how our brains perceive the world around us. Beyond just the visual affect, the more natural sunlight your home receives, the warmer it becomes. This is great news for northern climate homeowners who can reduce their winter heating bill by leaving window coverings open during the day. Due to glass having a lower R value (a measurement of insulation) heat can escape through windows at night, so covering them with drapes or blinds adds an extra measure of insulation. The same can be said in the hot summer months, when it is advisable to cover your windows during the day, and uncover them at night to reduce air conditioning bills.
Replacing old non-energy efficient, leaking, or improperly installed windows can be one of the largest investments you put into your home. Huge heating/air conditioning bills, drafts, ants, and break-ins are merely some of the potential repercussions of poor quality windows and window installations. Making sure the windows in any house or condominium you own are of high quality and won’t need immediate replacement is an important task.
Even more effective than typical windows for providing natural sunlight are skylights. Properly installed quality skylights can add beauty and functionality to your home, but improperly installed and low quality skylights can also cause a whole range of problems. During the winter months, moisture in the home can cause condensation to form on the inside of your skylight, which then can drip inside. A quality skylight should provide channels for condensation to run into to prevent dripping, and the higher the R value of the skylight the less prone it becomes to such issues.
Skylights should be installed on a raised lip on your roof, never flush with the roof surface itself. This helps prevent damaging leaks from rainwater seeping into your home. The type of glazing (plastic or glass) of your skylight also plays a large role in its overall quality. Many plastic glazings can get scratched from nearby branches and discolor over time. Furthermore, if they do not have a UV reflective coating, they can fade and discolor your furniture as well. Tempered glass skylights often provide the greatest impact resistance as well as other features for providing a higher R value for insulation.
Beyond the potential problems, skylights do offer a nice range of functionality. Some skylights can open to provide ventilation which is imperative to keeping indoor air pollution manageable. Paired with a green roof, a skylight can offer a wintertime heating incentive as well as being naturally shaded in the summer by leafy rooftop vegetation, reducing the home heating effect during the months when the heat is least desirable.
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