
How to Block Heat from Skylights? A Solution Based Guide
Skylights are extremely valuable for bringing in natural light to a property; however, overheating it during summer months also poses a problem. If you are trying to figure out how to control excessive heat coming through your skylights, HVAC technology is the best way out. Your living areas could unintentionally become scorching hot, increasing cooling expenses and making conditions unbearable.
If all of this sounds too familiar, it is certainly time to explore practical ways of controlling heat from skylights, which will help transform your rooms and eliminate the annoying hike on your energy bill.
By choosing triple-glazed, Low-E or solar control glass, you can enjoy the benefits of skylight brightness without overheating your room. Rooflights & Skylights UK offers a wide range of these glass types, letting homeowners tailor their solution for enhanced thermal comfort and energy efficiency.
Problems with Skylight Heat Generation
As with many modern applications, the usage of skylights poses both benefits and drawbacks; one of the latter includes excess heat during summer months which results in expensive cooling bills. Skylights are a perfect access point for fresh air, but at the same time they become strong sensors for heat if the glass type isn’t adequate. Additionally, the internal temperature of your home can now be damaged and the loss suffered during summer adds fuel to the fire.
Skylights can transform pleasant rooms into uncomfortably hot spaces, requiring urgent air conditioning and significant energy expenditure. This situation is worsened by the sun's heat during summer, drastically raising indoor temperatures on sunny days. During winter months, however, the same solar heat gain can be beneficial, as it serves as an additional aid in cold weather.
Choosing the Right Glass Type
Double-Glazed (Toughened)
Standard option providing good insulation. Double-glazed toughened glass helps reduce heat loss in winter but is less effective at preventing heat gain in summer.
Triple-Glazed
Excellent insulating value. Triple glazing helps both retain heat in winter and dampen solar heat in summer. Ideal for UK climates where both insulation and heat control are important.
Low-E (Low-Emissivity) Coated Glass
Low-E glass has a microscopic and invisible coating that reflects infrared radiation, reducing summer heat gain and dampening winter heat. All Rooflights & Skylights UK glass types are Low-E, so overheating is not an issue with us. This glass type (available both for double and triple glazing) balances natural light with temperature control.
Self-Cleaning Glass
Self-cleaning glass has a special treatment of the outer surface, that helps water sheet off more easily, preventing grime/dust build-up that can trap.
Tinted or Solar Control Glass
These options alter the glass transparency and are usually available in subtle hues such as Blue, Grey, or Aqua. Helps reduce glare and solar gain while maintaining transparency and aesthetic quality.
Skylight Blinds and Shades
Blinds and shades can control the amount of trapped heat and light in a room throughout the day. These add-ons, besides controlling temperature, increase the functionality and versatility of a skylight.
Roller Blinds
Through skylights, roller blinds let you regulate the amount of light and heat entering the room. This type of weather covering comes in different materials, shapes, and opacity options. Some fabrics offer complete light blocking while others provide filtered light options, which allows you to maintain comfort and privacy.
Cellular Shades
With their unique honeycomb pattern, cellular shades trap air and have excellent insulation properties. These clever shades help keep homes cooler in summer while retaining warmth in winter. Available in light-filtering or blackout options, they offer versatile solutions for differing needs in different rooms.
Roman Blinds
Roman blinds combine class and practicality with regards to weather covering for skylights. They rise into pleasing folds, and when drawn down, they command attention while controlling heat and light. They are most common for attic bedrooms and home offices where looks matter.
External Heat Blocking Solutions
By preventing sun rays from reaching the skylight glass, external options offer the maximum heat control.
Exterior Shutters
When needed, exterior shutters achieve complete skylight coverage. They offer privacy and security and can also be closed during peak sun hours to block direct heat. Externally available in various styles and materials, exterior shutters somewhat complement your home's appearance, whilst offering excellent temperature and lighting control.
Retractable Awnings
For sections of the skylight that are easy to reach, retractable awnings provide flexibility in heat protection. They can be pulled out and set into place during the hottest parts of the day and retracted during the time of maximum natural light. This works most efficiently for flat roof skylight
Air Circulation And Movement Solutions
Enhancing fireplaces and other air circulation elements around the skylights in your home can significantly lower the temperature.
Solar Powered Venting Skylights
Natural light is provided through solar powered skylights. They can also open automatically to let out hot air. These intuitive skylights are powered by the sun, naturally promoting the flow of air throughout your home, which helps to cool it down. This feature lowers energy expenses.
Roof Ventilation
Installing additional roof vents near your skylights will allow hot air to escape before it accumulates in your living spaces. Certain measures such as ridge vents, exhaust fans, or even passive ventilation systems can help control heat build-up.
Professional Help Vs DIY
Basic blinds and films usually can be undertaken as DIY tasks, while external shutters and other more complex options like glazing upgrades typically need professionals to do the work. When it comes to roof work or installing structural alterations, it's best to seek out specialists with the right tools and know-how.
Clear Aside Misdirected Efforts for Simple Maintenance Solutions
So many simple methods can make a difference in heat management, like reducing uncontrolled heat transfer over gaps and cracks with weather stripping. It minimises hot air intrusion over the summer and heat emission during the winter, while also preventing unwanted energy loss through the gaps in isolation over the frames.
Simple maintenance tasks, like regularly cleaning the skylights can assist in further reducing energy consumption by increasing the rate of light transmission through the windows into the room. In addition to that, clean windows, as compared to dirty ones, tend to increase heat blockade efficiency.
Cleaning skylights assists in increased light entry into the room, as well as improves energy conservation by reducing the usage of electric lighting during the day. By choosing the most suited remedy to your specific case from the aforementioned paragraphs, it is easy to maintain the optimal temperature in each case.
While external shutters greatly increase the blockage of sunlight entering rooms through windows or other forms and maintain good control over the windows, they severely limit natural light flow into the rooms which lowers comfort level in the house.
Think about your boundaries budget for the blinds or shutters, comfort set for the amount of light required by you, and the working temperature in your house to help you juxtapose between preferred outcome and light blockage. With time, many users have pointed out that the best improvement outcome is achieved with the use of multiple targeting devices at once.
Final Thoughts
Thermal comfort during summer months does not have to come at the cost of enjoying natural light emitted through skylights. As long as the right approaches are deployed, the welcoming conditions that are so valuable to skylights can be maintained.
If you're replacing or planning to install new skylights, advanced glazing can maintain ideal control of excess heat for a long time. When choosing your skylight or roof lantern, hhis is what you need to keep in mind:
Low-Emissivity (Low-E) Glass
Low-E glass is made with a thin metallic coating that reflects infrared radiation while letting visible light through. It helps in keeping the homes cool in summer and warm in winter, thus providing year-round energy efficient advantages. It is a great investment for new installations or replacements.
Double and Triple Glazing
Unlike single panes, double and triple glazing have two or three layers of glass with air or gas in between them. This construction helps with heat retention in winter and also prevents heat from entering in the summer. Areas with extreme temperatures greatly benefit from triple glazing due to its superior insulation.
At Rooflights and Skylights UK, our experts will work with you to devise a plan tailored to your specific requirements. We are ready to talk to you today about solutions to optimise your home's comfort while preserving natural daylight that beautifies your interiors.