Residential Skylights
Welcome to our overview of residential skylights.
This web page was written to provide a basic understanding of skylights, their applications, common terminology and basic features. Please move on to FAQ’s for SKYLIGHTS or VELUX Skylights — Sizes & Shapes for more detailed information and specifications. You may know that skylights were first used in Europe (invented by the founder of VELUX) almost seventy years ago. In Europe then and now it is rare to see a non-venting skylight. The very name VELUX is derived from VE — ventilation and LUX – light. The concept of allowing fresh air and sunlight into a building proved to be very popular, thus the skylight industry was born.
Curb-mounted verses Deck-mounted Skylights
Skylights are generally installed on a house in one of two ways.
Deck-mounted units are preferred for new installations, especially on pitched or sloped roofs. They install through the roof deck, have a slightly lower profile, and trim out beautifully inside the light shaft or on a cathedral ceiling.
VELUX Deck-mounted Skylight
VELUX Curb-mounted Skylight
Curb-mounted units, as the name implies, are actually installed on a curb (usually 2 X 4′s or 2 X 6′s) attached to the roof. They are the only skylight generally used on flat or low-sloped roofs but can also be used on long, steep roofs where heavy rain could cascade over a deck-mounted unit potentially causing leaks. Curb-mounted units can be installed vertically or horizontally and are often used to fit over existing openings from odd-sized skylights on flat or pitched roofs.
Both deck and curb-mounted skylights come in fixed (non-venting) or manual, solar, and electrically venting models. VELUX EDL or ECL Flashing Kits are required for all sloped-roof installations and each kit comes with the underlayment needed to complete the installation. Blinds and shades are available for most models.
Fixed Skylights Verses Venting Skylights
Skylights come in two types; Fixed and Venting.
VELUX Venting Skylight
VELUX Fixed Skylight
There is absolutely no foundation for the misconception that one type of skylight leaks more than the other. In fact VELUX skylights, properly installed, do not leak and VELUX backs that up with its 10 years “No Leak” promise. We often tell our customers “Skylights don’t leak, installations do”, which is why VELUX developed the Five-Star Certification…to make certain that customers can find a knowledgeable company that installs skylights properly. Houseworks Daylighting Solutions is one of the oldest and most experienced Five-Star Certified companies in the country.
VELUX now manufactures three models of venting skylights; one that operates manually and two others that operate electrically– one from household current and the other from solar energy. All three carry the VELUX 10 year warranty and each has benefits the others do not. For instance, the manually operated units are great in low-ceiling applications like bonus rooms over a garage or where the skylight is within easy reach. They cost much less than their electrical counterparts and are very simple to open and close.
The electrical and solar venting units are operated by a hand-held wireless remote that can control multiple skylights and/or blinds simultaneously. They can be set to close with a built-in timer and will automatically shut if the weather changes. The new solar powered units do not require an electrical connection and are eligible for a 30% Federal Solar Energy Tax Credit. This makes them very affordable. Our customers who have replaced manually venting skylights with electrical or solar powered units tell us they use these units much more than they ever used the manually venting skylights. Older individuals or people with balance problems also enjoy the ease of operation with solar or electrical skylights.
YOUR VELUX FIVE-STAR DEALER AND INSTALLER FOR SKYLIGHTS
Roof Windows
Deck-mounted Roof Windows
Originally a European product, most VELUX roof windows offer the additional advantage of emergency escape…they open much wider than traditional skylights and are often used where fire codes require an auxiliary exit. VELUX offers four unique models of roof windows in several different sizes. Unlike skylights where the insect screen is an integral part of all venting units, on Roof Windows the screen is an accessory and must be ordered separately. VELUX offers only manual shades for roof windows.
Pan-Flashed Skylights
Just when you thought you had it figured out we offer a third option, the “Pan-Flashed” skylight.
The Glass
Choosing the right glass
VELUX manufactures skylights with a number of glazing options. However, all VELUX glass skylights are built using energy efficient LoE366 Argon gas injected between the glass panes. The process used today keeps VELUX skylights thermally protected and energy-efficient for at least twenty years (see the warranty page).
Laminated Glass – Clean, Quiet and Safe
The new NEAT® Glass is offered only on VELUX Laminated Glass skylights. It features a silicon dioxide coating that makes the glass exceptionally smooth causing water to sheet off the surface. The NEAT® glass also features a coating of titanium dioxide which reacts chemically with organic matter in the presence of sunlight causing its rapid decomposition. These two coatings greatly reduce water spots and help to keep the skylight clean.
Ordinary Glass NEAT® Glass
Most VELUX products are ENERGY STAR® qualified
When NEAT® is applied to LoE366 glass, it combines the ultimate in low maintenance with the best energy conserving LoE glass on the market. And because these laminated skylights contain a third panel of glass, they reduce outside noise by 25% over standard double-pane skylights and up to 50% less than a plastic (acrylic) skylight. The laminated glass, which is like the windshield on your car, is also much safer than tempered glass units.
VELUX Tempered Glass
VELUX Laminated/Tempered Glass
Houseworks always recommends and stocks the triple-glazed laminated glass skylights. These units have two heat-treated safety glass panels laminated together beneath an outside tempered glass panel. Building code requires laminated skylights for most overhead applications and on all venting units over a certain size. The lamination also significantly increases the protection from damaging Ultra-Violet (UV) light. High Impact, Miami-Dade, White laminated, and Heavy Snow-load glazings are all special-order options available on specific models. We try to never use acrylic or plastic bubble skylights on residential applications; they just don’t provide the thermal insulation or the UV protection needed for a home.
Blinds & Shades
Velux offers shades in a variety of colors and styles, five of which are in-stock in each style. Other colors may be special ordered but with a longer lead time. White is hands-down the preferred color. Houseworks recommends Room Darkening shades in bedroom or family room applications where controlling the amount of light is important. Light filtering shades work where privacy is an issue and limiting light is not. With the exception of roof windows, all VELUX shades are now solar powered. Manually operated shades and venetian blinds are only available for roof windows.
Solar-powered shades are available for all stock-sized curb and deck-mounted skylights whether venting or fixed.
VELUX blinds and shades are offered in these STANDARD colors. See Blinds and Accessories for more options.