Skylights to Bring in Sunlight

Natural light lifts spirits, makes spaces appear larger, and reveals our world in its true colors. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, it also reduces eyestrain, increases our productivity and lessens electricity consumption. Skylights are available in a variety of sizes that will easily integrate into your ceiling and roofing construction. Introducing more natural light into your home from one or more skylights will make your rooms feel more spacious, expansive and more beautiful. The increase in natural light can help decrease your overall energy costs. Skylights that open up can also provide ventilation in rooms that may not be well-ventilate.

Positioning

Skylights must be located where the sun can shine on them directly. A skylight foe not produces a useful amount of daylight if it is shaded by adjacent structures or foliage. Similarly, skylights are not worthwhile in areas that have heavy cloud cover for a large period of time. In single-floor buildings, skylights may provide a large fraction of illumination requirements. Sunlight is so intense that skylights can provide virtually any illumination level that is required. There are agencies which specialize in skylights. You can even get them custom fabricated. Skylights are commonly made from glass, glass composites, plastics and plastic composites. All these materials can be treated to reduce light transmission and cooling load, either by adding dyes that absorb light or by adding a reflective surface. The advantages of glass include unlimited life, high light transmission, hardness and rigidity.

Handle with Care

The main disadvantage of glass is its vulnerability to breakage, along with the safety hazard that falling glass creates. Glass can be made more resistant to breakage by increasing its thickness, by heat-treating it, and by combining it with reinforcing materials. All safety improvements for glass add cost and they usually add weight. Plastic materials are much lighter in weight, and they are resistant to shattering, sot hey pose only a minimal safety hazard. If you find the room gets too hot in the afternoon, simply install a set of Venetian blinds or other adjustable window covering over the skylight opening.

While Fixing a Skylight

Always get edges of skylights sealed very well with silicon to ensure no seepage of rain water
The skylight must have a proper slope and must not be flat to ensure good drainage of water
Have other large windows in the room and ensure that the room has good ventilation to prevent a heat trap
It is preferable to have skylights in common areas where you don't spend to much time and not in the bedroom as you won't have privacy
The glass must be toughened so that it is shatterproof.

Extracted From indiatimes.com TOI, priorconservatories.co.uk DIY Conservatories