Sky lights enhance habitability

Sky lights have the potential to enhance the habitability and appearance of a home by illuminating a dimly-lit space, it has been asserted.

Writing in online resource the San Francisco Gate, Philip S Wenz notes that the features have the potential to make a building more sustainable by reducing the need for artificial light during the daytime.

He notes that between two and three time more light can enter a house from an overhead light source through a sky light than through a window of the same dimensions.

"Sunlight streaming through a skylight can help warm a house, while a ventilating skylight can cool a house or ventilate steam from a bathroom without using electricity," Mr Wenz states.

He adds that sunlight can kill mould and also support household plants that reduce airborne toxins.

Meanwhile, sector commentator Peter Caplehorn recently wrote in industry publication that modern glazing units can provide thermal insulation that eliminates the need for radiators in a structure.