Designing The Well-Lit Home

    FORT MILL, SC, July 10, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- One of today's most popular home design features is more natural light, flooding through windows and dramatically flowing through skylights. And as the green building and remodeling movement continues to gain momentum, the energy-efficient benefits of venting skylights, with passive ventilation being a major plus, are getting more attention from architects and designers.

"I love the drama of skylights," says Priscilla Ulmann, founder of the New York design firm, Scott-Ulmann, Inc. "There's nothing like walking into a room drenched in natural light with a view of the sky."

According to Joe Patrick, senior product manager with VELUX America, skylights provide 30 percent more light than vertical windows in dormers while creating the drama Ulmann cites. "And from a decorating standpoint," Patrick says, "skylights don't use wall space, creating an even greater sense of openness while lighting and ventilating homes."

Modern, ENERGY STAR qualified skylights share all the energy-efficient qualities of vertical windows, including dual pane construction, argon gas-injected low-e glass, and wooden frames for superior insulation. And skylights can be opened and closed, and lightened or darkened, using remote control. Plus, they can include moisture sensors that close them automatically in case of rain.

And with an increasing number of large homes being built on small lots, privacy is more of an issue. "Light from windows is rarely enough, especially in places where lot sizes are small," says Jennifer Powers of Scott-Ulmann. A National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) survey* supports that observation, finding that 65 percent of homebuyers request skylights in their bathrooms where privacy is of the utmost importance.

Kitchens are also prime spots for venting skylights to utilize their natural chimney effect to exhaust heated moist air and cooking odors from the home.

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.

*NAHB National Home Shopper's Survey

Image/s caption - Venting skylights leave wall space for decorating while providing energy-efficient natural light and passive ventilation

VELUX America Informational Series No. 10/08/F - Designing The Well-Lit Home - Apx. 350 Words

Media Contact:
Keith Hobbs - Business Services Associates, Inc. - 9413 Greenfield Drive -
Raleigh, NC 27615-2306 - Phone - 919.844.0064 - E-mail - [email protected]

For quick access to natural light feature material, daylighting case histories and background information, news releases, press kits and high-resolution images visit www.veluxusa.com and, from the Home page, go to the News Media section under "Professionals."

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