A skylight is described as a light-transmitting structure that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting purposes. In fact, today’s homeowner can choose among skylight options that weren’t readily available, or didn’t even exist, only a few decades ago, Skylights are a lovely way to let natural lighting flood through your home interior. Because of this increase in natural light from skylights, the use of artificial lighting and electricity can be reduced, and during the colder months, skylights can contribute to the heat gain of a space and reduce the need for heating.
Skylighting types include roof windows, unit skylights, tubular daylighting devices (TDDs), sloped glazing, and custom skylights. Uses include:
- daylighting elements used to allow direct and/or indirect sunlight, via toplighting.
- providing a visual connection to the outdoor environment to interior occupants.
- sustainable building-passive solar heating, and with operable units; ventilation for passive cooling and fresh air exchange.
Different types of skylights used in buildings
Fixed skylights
Fixed skylights are very similar to ventilating skylights overall. These types of skylights are also available with durable plastic domes that go over the outside of it. These aren’t entirely necessary, as when you install these skylights properly they are sealed very well. The joints always need to be tightly sealed to ensure that moisture doesn’t get inside and cause any problems. Some people like to install the durable plastic domes just for the sake of having the extra peace of mind. Around 90 percent of the materials used in the fixed skylight is glass and the frames are made of steel, or aluminium, or timber.
Ventilating Skylights
One of the most popular types of skylights are the ventilating skylights. These types of skylights are capable of providing a significant amount of additional light to any room wherever you want it. Essentially, this is going to be adding a new window onto the roof of your house. This window is going to give you added lighting and it also works perfectly to give yourself a nice view of the night sky.
Solar Ventilating Skylight
Solar powered ventilating skylight is going to operate in much the same way as a normal electric-powered skylight. It will come with a small remote control device that you can use to open and close the skylight window. It will work very reliably and you won’t ever have any issues with it. Keep your remote somewhere convenient so that you will be able to open the skylight when the mood strikes you.
Curb-Mounted And Deck-Mounted Skylights
A deck-mounted skylight is directly attached to the roof deck. It comes with a built-in frame/curb, and you need to seal it, using waterproof materials (underlayments). A flashing kit is also used to cover the seam and the underlayment, to make the installation water-tight. The flashing system varies with brands. Curb-mounted skylights require you to build a curb (typically a wood curb) and to attach it to the roof deck around the roof opening. The skylight only includes a frame with the insulated glass panes and, in many cases, rubber gaskets and a flashing system.
Barrel vault Skylights
Barrel vaults are designed for installation on an existing curb on a flat roof. The unit consists of a welded aluminum sash with arched mullions, acrylic or polycarbonate glazing, and bar caps over the mullions. These types of skylights work well to open up hallways and corridors. They offer vaulted transparent or translucent space above and a range of arched rafters from low vaults to hemispherical skylights with glazed vertical ends. They cover building-connecting walkways and can attach to vertical walls at either or both ends. Vault radius is generally determined by other architectural conditions or aesthetic requirements. Curb size is determined by skylight size and structural requirements.
Tubular Skylights
Tubular skylights are tube-shaped devices that, through a rooftop lens and reflective-lined tube, capture sunlight and deliver it to the interior space of a home or office. Consisting of three main components-a dome, a tube, and a diffuser-they are more compact than standard rooftop skylights and, as a result, more affordable and less labor-intensive to install. Tubular skylights are much smaller than regular skylights, they are also much more energy efficient. The dome’s small size does not significantly compromise the building envelope and thus allows homes to avoid heat gain during the summer and heat loss during the winter. Tubular skylights provide light that is largely considered to be more natural than fluorescent and even LED bulbs.
Pyramid Skylights
A pyramid skylight is preferred due to its shape. Water will simply roll down, rather than gather, and so you don’t have to worry about it pooling and causing damage to your building. They are better equipped to deal with rain. These types of skylights are typically mounted on curbs on flat roofs. The skylights are available with a variety of slope or pitch options. The skylight takes a pyramid shape over a square opening and is identified as a Double-Hip over a rectangular opening.
Dome Skylights
Dome skylights are used to shut out inclement weather, are shaped to wash themselves in rain, can be insulated and will provide ventilation, access to the roof and even help fight fires. Due to their unique shape, residential dome skylights are immune to many of the potential problems caused by water pooling. It is a wide range of standard types, dome colour and sizes to suit virtually any function or aesthetic requirement; also custom fabricated to any size or shape for unusual lighting effects. These skylights resists discoloration, hazing and loss of strength in more than a half-century of successful outdoor use.
Glass Skylights
The skylight glass roof can be used as a source of natural light in your room. By using a skylight roof, your room will be brighter and look natural. Using skylights also makes your room warmer and can improve your mood for indoor activities. As that gorgeous natural light comes streaming into your room, it first passes through the skylight. That means that whatever material your skylight is made of must be designed to handle extended UV light exposure.
When deciding to purchase and install skylights, it’s important to do your due diligence. You want to buy from a reliable supplier, who has a reputation for manufacturing well-made, durable products.
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