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Venting Window Skylight Benefits
Should Window Skylights be Closed on Hot Sunny Days?
By: Mark J. Donovan
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Question: Hi Mark, should the skylight window be closed during day
time in a hot summer day? I was told the hot air will come through the skylight
window in the summer time, is that true? Can the skylight window act as a vent
in the attic. Thanks, S.M.
Answer: S.M, skylights can be a blessing and a curse, particularly if you
own a low quality window skylight. Window skylights are ideal for letting in
sunshine to brighten up a dark finished attic space or a north facing room.
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Venting window skylights also allow fresh air to enter the home and to help expel hot
air during hot summer months. However, older window skylights and low cost ones,
frequently lack window technology and features that provide good hot and cold
insulating properties.
If you have a venting window skylight, which sounds like your case, then you should
open it up on hot sunny days. One of the major benefits of a venting skylight is
the fact that when open it can create an updraft to vent out the hot air in the
home.
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A venting skylight works similarly to
a chimney. As the warm air rises in the home, the venting window skylight allows the
hot air to escape. In the process, it allows cooler air near the ground level to
enter through the lower level windows of the home. While venting out hot air via
the skylights and drawing in cooler air via the lower level windows, improved
air circulation is created within the home.
Venting window skylights are available that can be opened manually or by a remote
control wall switch.
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| There are even high end venting window skylights that can be
automatically opened or closed via thermostat control.
If you had a fixed window skylight, you may want to consider purchasing a
shade or sun screen for it, for those hot sunny days. In addition, there are
also window film coatings and finishes you can purchase and install on the
skylight window glass to reduce the amount of sunlight that shines through
the skylight. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
When buying a skylight, besides considering a venting window skylight type, also make
sure to look for double-glazed skylights with low emittance (a.k.a. Low-E)
coatings and Argon gas fillings. These types of window skylight features will
help to better insulate the home against heat and cold as they improve the
insulating efficiency of the skylight.
See the
Installing Interior Window Ebook
from HomeAdditionPlus.com.
The Installing Interior Window Trim Ebook provides easy to understand,
step-by-step instructions, on how to install interior window trim around a
window. Pictures are included for every key step in the process.
For more information on
Installing a New Window, see the
Installing a New Window Ebook from
HomeAdditionPlus.com. The Installing a New Window Ebook provides
easy to understand, step-by-step instructions, on how to remove an old window
and install a new one. Pictures are included for every key step in the process.
Related Skylight Articles
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