When people picture a skylight, they often think of sunshine pouring into a kitchen or living room. While that’s a big part of the appeal, it’s only the beginning. Today’s skylights take things a step further by cooling homes in the summer, carrying fresh air into stuffy upstairs rooms, and bringing daylight into spaces without windows.
For homeowners across Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland, especially those in older farmhouses and homes with deep, dark interiors, these lesser-known benefits can make a real difference in how a house feels day to day. Here are a few benefits of skylights that tend to surprise most people.
Let Rising Heat Escape Through Your Skylights
Heat rises, and in the summer, it tends to collect near the ceiling, especially on upper floors. A venting skylight gives that warm air a way out. When it’s open, hot air leaves through the roof while cooler air is drawn back in through lower windows and doors. This creates a gentle, natural airflow, also known as the “stack effect.”
For many households, having a venting skylight allows them to rely less on fans or air conditioning during warmer months. Upstairs bedrooms that used to feel stuffy by late afternoon can also stay noticeably more comfortable, simply by letting the house breathe.
Convenient Operation Without Hardwiring
This is the benefit that surprises people most. The VELUX Solar Powered “Fresh Air” Skylight runs on a small solar panel that charges its built-in battery system. That battery is responsible for powering the motor that opens and closes the skylight, so there’s no need to run wiring or hire an electrician.
The panel also doesn’t need direct sun to work. It collects available daylight, even on cloudy days. The skylight can face any direction on the roof, with homeowners having the ability to open and close it with a handheld remote. Some homeowners choose to upgrade their skylight with solar-powered shades that help manage light and heat.
For homes that use little electricity, or where running new wiring would be difficult, a wireless venting skylight system is a simple way to get the comfort of a venting skylight without the electrical work.
Automatic Rain Sensors Keep the Weather Out
A common concern about venting skylights is forgetting to close one before a storm rolls in. This is understandable, considering how fast storms can roll through our area. Fortunately, VELUX thought of this and included a built-in rain sensor in their solar-powered models. It automatically closes the skylight at the first sign of rain.
Because the system runs on its own battery, it can close even if there’s a power outage. So, the next time you want to head out to the store on a warm, sunny day, you can leave your skylight open. If a storm decides to come through, it will close on its own.
Better Ventilation Helps Control Indoor Moisture
Homes constantly produce moisture from everyday activities like cooking, showering, and laundry. Kitchens and bathrooms, in particular, produce a lot of steam, cooking odors, and humidity. A venting skylight placed in one of these rooms lets that moist air escape where it naturally collects, near the ceiling. Over time, having improved ventilation can help reduce condensation and keep rooms feeling fresher.
Bring Natural Light Into Windowless Rooms
Many homes have at least one space that remains dim, regardless of the time of day. A traditional skylight isn’t always practical in these spots, but a VELUX Sun Tunnel Skylight can be. This system captures daylight at a small dome on the roof and directs it down a highly reflective tube to a diffuser in the ceiling below. The result you get is a soft, natural light.
Rigid tunnels work well for longer distances between the roof and ceiling, while flexible tunnels can bend around obstacles in the attic for shorter runs. Sun tunnels are commonly installed in center hallways, interior bathrooms, walk-in closets, and laundry rooms tucked into the middle of a house. Many installations can be completed in a single day, with far less disruption than having to frame in a full skylight.
Proper Installation Makes All the Difference
A skylight is only as reliable as its installation. It’s imperative that every opening cut into the roof is flashed and sealed correctly to keep water out. VELUX backs its No Leak Skylight with a 10-year installation warranty when it’s installed with VELUX flashing. Working with a careful, experienced installer also makes a difference in getting those details right.
At MR Roofing, we install VELUX Skylights and Sun Tunnel Skylights with the same attention to detail we bring to every roof. As a GAF Master Elite contractor, we take pride in clean, precise workmanship, and we stand behind it with our 20-year workmanship guarantee.
Schedule a Free Skylight Consultation With MR Roofing
Whether you’re hoping to cool an upstairs bedroom, freshen up a bathroom, or finally bring daylight into a dark hallway, we’ll help you choose the right product and placement for your home. Our team will look at your roof pitch, attic space, and how sunlight moves across your house to recommend what makes the most sense, whether that’s a solar-powered venting skylight, a sun tunnel, or a combination of both. We’ll walk you through every step of the process, and when the work is finished, we’ll leave your home as clean as we found it.
Curious what a skylight or sun tunnel could do for your home? Contact MR Roofing to schedule a consultation.