Skylight:
The advantages of rooflights

Flat Roof Skylights

 

Walk On Rooflights

 

Roof Lantern

 

Skylight: the advantages

• Energy efficiency
• Promoting good health and mood
• Ventilation
• Roof access
• Privacy
• Planning permission

Energy efficiency

With abundant levels of daylight all year round, property owners can subsequently reduce their overall reliance on artificial lighting. Not only does this result in a more attractive living or working space it means cheaper utility bills – the savings of which can pay for the long term investment in a skylight.

In terms of energy consumption, thermal efficiency is a big deal for the leading skylight manufacturers in the UK. At Sunsquare, our market-leading U-value technology allows us to calculate the U-value of every single unit that leaves our factory.

But roof lights also make financial sense. In the colder months when the sun goes down sooner, they allow you to make the most of the limited hours of sunlight, while when the summer arrives, you may never need to turn your home or office lights on.

All of our skylights are thermally broken too, using two polyamide insulating sections which are then factory glazed with a 26mm argon-filling and a soft coat low-E insulating glass unit. Our low-emittance coatings are virtually invisible metal or metallic oxide layers which are deposited on the surface of a skylight and work to reduce the U-value factor by suppressing heat loss.

Promoting good health and mood

There’s nothing quite like being able to lay down on the floor of your home or office, look up and see nothing but sky through your remarkable skylight. It isn’t just the sense of awe of gazing to the heavens that will awaken your senses – there are many documented health benefits of exposure to natural light, with the Vitamin D production that it promotes being vital for good bone and muscle health and metabolism. From assisting in the regulation of sleep cycles to bolstering the immune system, roof lights can do so much for the health of your family and/or work colleagues who make use of your space.

Ventilation

If your property suffers from distinctly poor air quality then you may be surprised to hear that a skylight can help with this issue too. Opening skylights such as our Aero Electric model can be opened and closed electronically to recycle the air in your home or workplace through ventilation. Our skylights are designed to open easily to allow the release of the warm air that naturally rises in your building, which helps to make the space more hospitable.

An opening skylight can also transform living spaces such as roof terraces; with our Aero Electric Access model providing you with an altogether new point of access to maximise outdoor space.

Roof access

That’s right – if you need to access your flat roof periodically, such as to carry out maintenance, you can even specify a skylight that completely opens. Simply select our well-regarded Aero Electric Access roof light.

Privacy

With homes and offices being built in ever-greater proximity to each other, it has become a challenge to provide plenty of access to natural daylight while also preserving the privacy of a building’s occupants.

A commercial and domestic skylight can solve that problem effortlessly. Installed on your flat roof, the lack of an angle to your skylight prevents any users of nearby buildings peering in – an especially important consideration for more private spaces like bathrooms – but still allows in as much light as possible.

Planning permission

Planning permission is rarely an issue for property owners looking to install a skylight even if it is a new addition to an existing roof. It is always worth checking simply because some shapes and sizes such as pyramid or lantern skylights can stand out from the roof and potentially cause an issue with neighbours.

The only regulations that you should really check are building regulations. There is a limit to how much glass an individual structure is allowed. If you opt to work with an architect to redesign your roof they should know of the regulations as will most building contractors.

As well as short term cost savings in terms of utility bills the installation of a roof window can also greatly enhance the overall value of your property. Eco-friendly, sustainable design and architecture is something the UK construction industry is increasingly focusing on and you can get in on the action too.

Download our whitepaper on building regulations

Written to help architects, surveyors and home improvers alike understand every UK building regulations.

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