Lifestyle Trends
The home improvement that can 'green' your indoor environment
(ARA) - Spring and summer are seasons of green - so it makes sense to take advantage of the warm weather to "green" your home with improvements that deliver environmental, economic, emotional and physical health benefits. Adding skylights delivers all those green pluses - and it's doable in warm and cool weather.
"Modern skylights can be installed in as little time as a day by a trained professional," says Joe Patrick, senior product manager of skylight manufacturer Velux. "Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, creating a natural light-filled environment, but they're also environmentally friendly in many ways."
Natural lighting
What's the only kind of light that's 100 percent energy efficient and the use of which doesn't emit greenhouse gases? The answer is sunlight, and you can use the power of the sun to create a bright, welcoming environment in your home. Skylights brighten your home with light from above, even on rainy days when the sun stays hidden behind clouds. Installing a skylight can help reduce energy bills because the natural light of the sun can reduce your need for electric lights and, on sunny days, help warm your home. Just be sure to choose an energy-efficient skylight that is Energy Star qualified.
Natural ventilation
Other forms of home ventilation require electricity to power exhaust fans, but a skylight can offer healthy passive ventilation. Modern venting skylights admit fresh air while silently removing stale indoor air. The chimney effect of an open skylight vents volatile organic compounds (VOCs), humidity and stale air out of the home far more effectively than an open window. Current green building guidelines encourage the use of natural ventilation for its health and energy conservation benefits.
Passive ventilation can help alleviate "sick house" symptoms that develop when a house doesn't "breathe" - or exchange stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air. Many items in the home, from adhesives, upholstery and carpet to the furnace, fireplaces, and even pressed wood cabinets and cupboards, can emit VOCs into your home environment. Short-term exposure to VOCs can cause headaches, nausea, eye irritation, sore throat and nasal irritation. Venting VOCs through a skylight can improve the overall healthfulness of your indoor environment, even in summer when houses are closed up because the AC is on and VOCs build up.
Any time is the right time
You may feel you should avoid a home improvement that requires opening a roof during inclement weather. But the benefits of skylights can outweigh any minor inconveniences of installation. Trained installers can quickly add skylights to virtually any room in your home.
And don't worry about precipitation. Today's skylights, when properly installed with matched flashing kits, eliminate leak concerns. In fact, Velux offers "no-leak" deck-mounted skylights with both a product guarantee and an installation guarantee.
The basics
There are two basic types of traditional skylights - fixed, which do not open, and venting, which can be opened and closed manually or by remote control. A third type, tubular, such as the Velux Sun Tunnel, provides cost-effective, passive light in smaller areas such as closets, laundry rooms, pantries, hallways or second baths. These units also have light kits for nighttime use.
Accessories allow you to control the light or heat entering your home through your skylight. Venetian blinds, blackout blinds and roller blinds are available. Depending on what type you choose, you can completely block light entering through the skylight or soften the light to a diffused, gentle glow. Like electric skylights, accessories can be controlled with a remote.
Advanced double pane LoE3 insulated glass in the newest skylights reduces heat gain by 64 percent compared to ordinary glass and by 35 percent compared to earlier LoE2 glass, providing more daylight and better heat control for year-round comfort and energy savings.
To learn more about sustainable living and the green benefits of skylights all year round, visit veluxusa.com. For additional information on window and skylight energy efficiency visit energystar.gov, nfrc.org or efficientwindows.org
Courtesy of ARAcontent
