Skylights, Why And Where To Use Them
Why the skylights
Usually, people install the skylights in order to maximize the natural daylight illumination for their homes. This has two main reasons:
The natural light heals
The natural light is simply more natural than the bulb light.
Do you remember how pesimistic it makes you feel when the dark winter days come and sun only shines (if it ever shines) couple of minutes daily?
And do you remember how (unreasonably) happy you are when the spring comes and days are longer and full of light?
Your body just knows if the light you are using is natural or artificial.
People in northern countries, where the winters are long, often suffer from so called
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is a form of depression resulting from the lack of natural light.
Natural light activates the neurotransmitters (like serotonin or endorphins) in our brains and we start to feel better, happier, stronger and healthier.
The natural light saves your costs
The second reason why to install the skylights is... lighting costs.
We can reduce the lighting cost substantially if sun does itīs work better and longer.
Skylight dimensions
The skylight dimensions are the important selection criteria. The reasonable (cummulated) size of the skylight is somewhere between 5 and 20% of the floor surface of rooms the skylights are used in.
If the rooms have more
windows plus the skylights, the skylightsī cummulative size can be approximately 5% of the floor surface.
If the rooms have less windows, the size of skylights can be larger, up to 20% of the floor surface.
Skylight position
The east-oriented skylights provide maximum light in the morning.
The west-oriented skylights do the same job in the afternoons.
The north-oriented skylights give you fair lighting whole day but the light is cold as the north itself.
And, finally, the south-oriented skylights provide better light and heating than any other oriented skylights, but, in the summer, the heat can be too intense.
The skylight blinds
Therefor, the best orientation for the skylights is towards the south but do not forget to equip your skylights with appropriate skylight blinds in order to have the chance to switch off the natural light if it gets too intense.
