Taking a Look at Skylights

Skylights are a mixed blessing in New England during the winter.  The skylights provide the light, the views of the tree-tops and the extra headroom that we love in our charming, sloped ceiling attic bedrooms, but we know that they are also big heat-loss holes that add to our rising heating bills.  There are interesting studies that have shown that students perform better in classrooms that have skylights, and that shoppers buy more in big box store displays that are under skylights.  But at what cost to our carbon footprint?  LEED certification is not proscriptive, it is a series of points that sometimes off-set each other.  One point for more fresh air and better indoor air quality means that another point is not achievable on energy efficiency of the heating/cooling, since it costs more to heat and cool the fresh air than recycled air.  Decisions are often difficult, since you just can’t have it all. We recommend the chocolate rule: eating chocolate at every meal may not be good for you, but as an occasional treat, there’s nothing better.  Have a skylight or two, located strategically for maximum aesthetic impact; just don’t cover the roof with them.