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Skylights
Building with Skylights
Skylights are fantastic source of natural light where windows cannot be installed. Further, the skylights deliver light where sun is in its zenith. The great news about skylights is the installation. The cost to install skylight in your roof is small compared with the price of additional windows. Skylights provide fantastic flexibility in home design. They are unobstructive, provide good insulation and perfectly fit into a green house design.
Principles of Skylights in Energy Efficient Homes
There is a lot of literature which deals with skylights. Various skylight shapes, types and application exists.
A skylight can emit 3 times more light than vertical windows. Even during overcast, skylights can offer enough light without the need of external source.
In larger buildings, skylights may need to be designed by experts for optimal performance. The spacing between individual skylights is important.
As a rule of thumb skylights should be spaced 1.5 times the height at which they are installed. The integration of skylights with the location of windows is an engineering art and should be left to experts.
Skylights emit light from the sun which is at the zenith. Therefore, there is an incorrect perception that skylights transmit a lot of heat.
However, skylights can be easily insulated with glazing and shading. Thus, skylights are proven to be integral architectural items in energy efficient homes.
Skylights Types
- Roof windows are popular for older buildings. These are designed for tall ceiling with small amount of roof.
- Double glazing skylights reflect a lot of heat but still emit sufficient light. Double glazing is still effective during overcast.
- Plastic dome skylights are made of molded units. These cost-effective items are affordable, less prone to damage and still very effective to deliver natural light.
- Tubular skylights are the most efficient to reduce heat loss and heat gain. They have a small cross section exposed to the sun. Tubular skylight can capture a small beam of light and effectively spread it inside the room. Together with reflective tubes and tubular daylighting devices, these skylights are perfect for energy efficient homes.
Skylights and Fire Safety in Australia
Now, the less exciting stuff - the fire safety. Skylights can be designed in homes from many materials.
Keeping your house design as a green house design does not guarantee safety. Plastic, combustible skylights can be fire hazards.
Australia Fire Authority specifies that aggregate area of skylights must not exceed 20% of the roof. Also, roof skylights must be placed no less than 1.8 meters from each other (including skylights from another building). Ask experts if in doubt. It is expensive to make changes to your home plans after building or installation is completed.
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