You can reduce and almost completely block the heat from a skylight by installing shades, strategically choosing its location, or opening the skylight to reduce the hot air that gets trapped inside your home. While you can take extreme measures to block out the sun by painting over a skylight or boarding it up, these are the best ways to avoid the heat and still enjoy the natural light and fresh air a skylight has to offer.
How Your Skylight Can Block Heat from The Sun
Shades
Skylight shades are the easiest way of protecting your home from the heat brought in by the sun. VELUX offers certain skylight shades preinstalled, as well as special order styles if you’d like to match your shades with your decor. All VELUX skylight shades fit effortlessly on our skylights and can help filter the incoming light and heat from the sun.
Skylight Positioning
While a poorly planned skylight can cause an excess of sunlight and heat, a strategically placed one can help you save money on heating and cooling costs. South-facing skylights, for example, increase the temperature of a space because they pick up more of the sun’s rays than skylights facing other directions. North- and east-facing skylights, on the other hand, will have less of an effect on the temperature of a space as they’re exposed to more indirect sunlight.
Strategically placed skylights can also be used to your advantage in the winter by letting the sunshine heat your home so you can shave money off your heating costs. Talk to your skylight installer about the best spots in your home to take advantage of the sun’s natural light and heat without overheating your space. You can also talk with a VELUX Trusted Advisor to plan out skylights in your space before setting up a consultation with an installer.
Venting Capabilities
Venting skylights, like VELUX Fresh Air Skylights, can protect your home from the heat by releasing the hot air built up in your home. Electric Fresh Air Skylights and Solar Powered Fresh Air Skylights can be programmed to open automatically on summer nights to vent the heat of the day out of your home. In fact, all VELUX venting skylights can help with whole-home airing when opened at the same time as vertical windows. This helps cool air refresh your home without fans or air conditioning.
