7 Reasons To Install A Skylight In Your Home This Summer
Adding a skylight to your home is one of the best ways to tap the benefits of natural light. Indeed, this feature has many health benefits, like lower stress, fewer headaches, decreased eye strain, and reduced Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), among others. It can also boost your home’s value. With summer’s arrival and the days becoming longer, you can harness the sun by installing a skylight in your home. Admittedly, you may wonder why you should invest in it, especially when you have windows. Here are seven reasons to install a skylight in your home this summer.
- Effective ventilation
Summer months may come with much heat as the temperature rises. Fortunately, installing a skylight or two can improve ventilation and reduce humidity. Hot air rises over cool air, and as it gets closer to the roof or ceiling, it collects just below the skylight. Opening it will allow the collected heat will escape, cooling your home. Moreover, you can reduce your energy bills, as your air conditioners don’t have to work extra hard to give your living space a cooler temperature. Experts recommend opening your skylight for a few minutes daily to release the collected heat.
- Improved mood
Research has shown that getting more sunlight into your home can improve your mood and mental health. And what better period to be in a good mood than during the summer months? A skylight brings in sunlight, flooding your home with summer’s natural light using a polycarbonate sheet. That can help improve your mood, especially if you usually experience Seasonal Affective Disorders (SADs). According to experts, SADs are caused by a lack of exposure to natural light. It can affect your serotonin levels, body clock, and mood, leading to irritability, stress, anxiety, and fatigue. If you expect to spend most of your time indoors (perhaps you work from home or care for a newborn) this summer, adding a skylight can compensate for your lack of outdoor time, as it will bring the sunlight indoors. That leads to another benefit.
- Increased productivity when working from home
If working from home makes it difficult to spend enough time outside, a skylight can flood your home with the sunlight you need. This can improve your mood and boost your productivity at work, so feel free to consider this. According to available research, adding more natural light to your work environment can increase efficiency and job satisfaction. This is because natural light has been shown to improve focus, alertness, and productivity. You can consider installing the skylight above your workspace or in your home office to create an environment promoting productivity and creativity.
- Better sleep quality
Do you struggle to fall asleep? Do you find yourself waking up several times at night? Do you wake up each morning lethargic and dull from inadequate sleep? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider adding a skylight to your bedroom roof this summer.
Placing a skylight strategically in your bedroom or home office can give you enough sunlight to improve your sleeping patterns. It’s worth noting that the summer months offer the most sunlight during the year. Research has identified a strong connection between adequate sunlight and adequate rest. Getting more sunlight during the day can reset your body’s ‘sleep clock,’ as light is an important cue for the sleep cycle. The natural light you’re exposed to during the day will help your body determine when to shut down and wake up, so feel free to consider this. Also, installing a skylight this season can restore your natural sleep patterns even after the sunny months have passed.
- Balanced indoor humidity
It’s worth noting that summer heat can affect a home’s indoor humidity. Increased humidity can make you feel more uncomfortable during this season. This is particularly unbearable for people with allergies or lung conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, place skylights in strategic places to combat this issue. For instance, if you’re a fan of hot showers, you can install a skylight in your bathroom to provide an escape route for water vapour. Moreover, this can prevent the humidity from hot showers from spreading to other parts of the home. That keeps the humidity levels low and manageable, reducing the need for a dedicated humidifier, so keep this in mind.
- Privacy
Relying only on your windows as your source of sunlight during summer may require sacrificing your family’s privacy. You risk exposing your home’s interior to outsiders, which can be problematic if you live in a busy area. Even with high-quality window treatment, people can look into your home. This can be more challenging for bedrooms or other parts of your home that must remain private. The last thing you want is to lose some good summer sunlight because of a lack of privacy. Fortunately, installing a skylight will give you the sunlight your home needs without exposing your home’s interior to public view. Whether you live in a single-storey or have upper floors, you can leverage natural lighting anytime. You can also use materials like polycarbonate sheets as your skylight’s roof and enjoy a more transparent view. It’s also worth noting that polycarbonate sheets provide better sound insulation, keeping external noise from ruining your home’s quiet ambiance. You can check out websites such as www.clearambershop.com if you’re considering polycarbonate sheets for your skylight, so keep this in mind.
- Lower energy consumption
You can considerably reduce your energy consumption and electric bills by decreasing your reliance on artificial lighting and cooling during the day. Indeed, natural light allows you to function in your living space without leveraging electricity for illumination. Also, a skylight can be a source of passive solar heating and help keep your bedroom warm during cooler nights, so feel free to consider this.
Installing a skylight has many benefits, including those discussed above. Therefore, investing in one is beneficial. As a tip, work with professional installers to reap its full benefits.
