Tubular skylights work by allowing sunlight to pass though an acrylic dome (or light collector) lens on the roof. The light passes through reflective tubing to a diffuser lens. That lens then spreads the light evenly throughout the room. With tubular skylights there isn’t any harmful direct sunlight; however, they don’t provide a view, either.

The initial cost for tubular skylights is much less than conventional skylights, ranging from $150-$600 depending on what kind of model is desired. The installation cost is also lower because little or no additional framing is required. This is a much more “do-able” project than conventional skylights. Like everything though, they will not perform well if they are poorly or improperly installed. They should be mounted where the dome will receive direct sunlight. Also, the shorter the reflective tubing that the sunlight has to travel through, the more effective the sunlight will be. Some tubular skylights can even be fitted with electrical lights to provide light in the evening as well. (Click on the thumbnail to view larger)

(Source)(Image source)

This type of skylight is really good to use in kitchens and bathrooms because it can circulate air and rid the room of excess moisture. Because it is on the ceiling, the ventilating skylight creates an updraft which carries the hot air, and the pollutants that come with the rising hot air, out of the house. This makes ventilating skylights a wonderful option for people with severe allergies and asthma.

Ventilating skylights usually open outward at the bottom. Some have moisture control sensors and automatically close when it rains. Ventilating tubular skylights use whirly vents to circulate the hot air out of small areas.

(Source)(Source)(Source)(Image source)

Most types of skylights come with flashing that will effectively seal the roof. Flashing is usually aluminum or galvanized steel, most often aluminum. It can be finished to match the frame of the skylight to be more aesthetically pleasing. Below are a few links that show how to install a skylight yourself, and a few things to consider before beginning the installation process:

10 Things You Must Know About Installing a Skylight, from the DIY Network.

Several articles from DoItYourself.com

Installing a Skylight, from Lowes

(Source)

Skylight glazings are usually plastic or glass.

Plastic: This type of glazing is usually cheaper than glass. However, they do scratch easily and sometimes become brittle and discolored with age. Plastic glazing also lets more ultraviolet rays into the room which can sometimes be damaging to the furnishings. The most common types of plastics used are acrylics and polycarbonates. Acrylics are weaker, but they cost less. Polycarbonates have a higher impact resistance, but they tend to discolor with age.

Glass: Glass glazing tends to be more expensive, but it doesn’t discolor. Glass used in skylights have to be made of safety glazing. Tempered glass is more impact resistant, and laminated glass has a thin layer of plastic embedded n it. Both types keep the glass from breaking into large, sharp pieces.

In many cases, skylights are made with both glass and plastic. The exterior panel is glass, and the interior one is plastic. This provides the most impact resistance while at the same time protecting the occupants from shards of glass.

Heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter are big factors with skylights. The technologies used to prevent or reduce this are the same as with windows: heat-absorbing tints, insulating glazes (two or more panes), and low-e coatings.

(Source)

There are three main types of skylights: ventilating, fixed, and tubular. Within these types there are nine different styles of skylights: flat, round, polygon, pyramid, dome, hip ridge, ridge, lean-to, and barrel vault. In this post we’ll take a look at what these are. First, the types:

Ventilating Skylights: This type of skylight can be opened for better air flow. It is optimal for bathrooms and kitchens where it will help control the moisture. They are operated either by hand crank, automatic (by temperature), or remote control.

Fixed Skylights: This type doesn’t open, and is installed just for light.

Tubular Skylights: This is really just a very small skylight that is meant to fit places such as closets and hallways where traditional skylights wouldn’t work.

---

Now we’ll take a quick look at those nine different styles:

Flat: This is the most common. Made out of a flat (obviously) piece of acrylic or glass, it can be either the ventilating type or the fixed type.

Round: These come up out of the roof looking like half a bubble.

Polygon: Polygon skylights are composed of many pieces of glass or acrylic. It is more expensive, but also much more impressive.

Pyramid: These are sort of like the polygon styles without as many panels of glass. Obviously, for a pyramid, there are only four pieces. It juts out of the roof in the same way though.

Dome: This style is pretty much like the flat style except that is gently “bubbles out, ” if you will, above the roof-line.

These styles are mostly residential; the next few are mainly associated with larger buildings:

Hip ridge: These look like enormous pyramid skylights. Long and rectangular hip ridge skylights come to a peak above the roof surface to a central ridge. The short ends are composed of sloping, triangular pieces of the same material.

Ridge: It is almost the same as the hip ridge, but a little simpler with the short ends being flat rather than sloping.

Lean-to: This is a very simple design. It starts on the roof of one story, and ends on the wall of the next.

Barrel vault: These are sort of like the lean-to styles, but a bit more complex with the upper story part consisting of a half sphere.

(Source)(Image source)(Image source)

Skylights can be a very effective way of lighting your home in the daytime. By doing that they will lower your energy bill. There are three things to consider when thinking about installing skylights:

Micro-Climate: This comes up a lot. As always it is crucial to understand how your micro-climate works. Watch how the shadows move along your property and take advantage of them. Skylights on the east and west sides of the house give the most light, but with that comes the most heat gain. North-facing skylights give some light and minimal heat gain. South-facing skylights will give more light than north-facing ones; they also give more heat gain. However, if the skylights were to be shaded in the summer the heat gain would work for you in the winter.

Selection: Choose just the right skylight for your specific climate, micro-climate, and home for the best energy efficiency. A skylight’s shape, glazing and use all effect how efficient it is. We’ll look into this more in another post.

Proper Installation: As with all things, if skylights aren’t installed properly they won’t be efficient, and will probably be an energy drain. When installing a skylight it’s important to take the slope and moisture control into consideration, but, again, we’ll look at this in more detail in a different post.

(Source) (Image Source)