Skylights Can Provide Natural Ventilation As Well As Light From Above

    FORT MILL, SC, July 10, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Homeowners striving to conserve energy and save money due to the ever-rising cost of fuel for heating and cooling may risk going too far for their own good.

Sealing door and window spaces, adding insulation, and implementing other home "tightening" measures is a wise decision in one sense, but the practice can lower air exchange rates and, if carried too far, can have health implications. State and federal energy codes that require tighter building, while well-intentioned, can also add to the problem with the resulting indoor air quality oftentimes being less healthy than outdoor air. And the green building movement, which advocates more insulation and thicker vapor barriers, can compound the problem further while rightfully advocating energy efficiency.

Bruce Crum, a principal in Adams Crossing Builders, a leading builder of Classic American Carriage Homes in Pennsylvania, says that homes have to "breathe" to be healthy. "VOCs (volatile organic compounds), as well as dust or allergens can build up in tightly sealed spaces," Crum says, "and cause problems, especially for the very young, the elderly, or those with asthma or other respiratory issues."

According to Green Builder Magazine, the Environmental Protection Agency considers indoor pollution to be one of the top-five public health concerns. Mechanical ventilation systems are one answer but they can be expensive to install and to operate.
Experts suggest homeowners utilize a whole-house ventilation strategy employing a combination of mechanical and passive methods that strike a balance between energy efficiency and safety.

The World Health Organization (WHO) points out that individuals can take simple actions, such as ensuring adequate ventilation, to protect their health. WHO is particularly concerned about homeowner exposure to Radon, a natural radioactive gas that emanates from soil into the air.

Steve Alfaro, builder development manager with VELUX America, says that a part of the solution can be manual or electric venting skylights. "They open to passively exhaust VOCs, along with hot, moist, or stale air from kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and other areas of the home," he says, "and the natural chimney effect of a venting skylight will exhaust air as it rises and remove it from the home silently with no energy use by fans."

According to Alfaro, ENERGY STAR qualified skylights contribute to energy efficiency with light and heat control as much as with ventilation by offering as many, if not more, accessories to adjust and control light as do vertical windows. "Venetian blinds are available to adjust light, cellular shades to diffuse light, lightblock shades to block light from the inside, and exterior heatblock awnings block heat before it enters the home," he points out. Electrochromic glass is also available in skylights that can be darkened or lightened by remote control without cutting off the view to the sky.
"And energy efficient low-E glazings offer protection against solar heat gain, resist condensation twice as long as clear glass, and protect interiors by reflecting the vast majority of the sun's fade-causing rays," he says.

For free information on the benefits of natural light and skylight selection, or for free house plans incorporating skylights, call 1-800-283-2831 or visit veluxusa.com. For government information on window and skylight energy efficiency visit energystar.gov, and for independent agency information visit nfrc.org or efficientwindows.org.

Image/s caption - Natural ventilation and light from above are a healthy combination
VELUX America Informational Series No. 4/08/F - Skylights Can Provide Natural Ventilation - Apx. 550 Words

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