Passive Ventilation and Natural Light Abundant - and Free - with Modern Skylights

    FORT MILL, SC, September 21, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Natural ventilation is becoming an increasingly attractive method for reducing energy costs while improving indoor air quality, according to green building advocates.

"Natural ventilation created by venting skylights is much more effective than opening a window," says John Carmody, director of the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. "A venting skylight can reduce the need for air conditioning, especially in northeastern climates," says Carmody, the author of several books on building design, "and most green building guidelines encourage homeowners to provide more natural ventilation, primarily because it reduces energy consumption."

Ross Vandermark, who heads national product management for VELUX America, explains that the chimney effect created by an open skylight exhausts volatile organic compounds (VOCs) along with humid, moist, stale air while admitting healthful, natural light.

"Homes that can't 'breathe' can be unhealthy," Vandermark says, "as VOCs can build up in tightly sealed spaces and cause health problems."

Kitchens and bathrooms are areas of the home where venting skylights are particularly effective in removing heated, moist air.
Kirsten Ritchie, a civil engineer and regional director for sustainable design for Gensler, a global architectural, design, planning, and consulting firm, says in an article at greenhomeguide.com, that among her favorite innovations or design ideas for a green kitchen are "lots of operable windows for natural daylight and free ventilation."

Vandermark points out that operable skylights serve the same function and offer as many, if not more, accessories to adjust and control light and ventilation, as do vertical windows. Plus, skylights offer sensors to close them in case of rain.

Vandermark adds that modern skylights make one of the biggest concerns of homeowners - the fear of leaks - a thing of the past. "Quality units offer matched, pre-engineered flashing kits for shingles, tile or metal roofing materials," he says. "They are designed and engineered to prevent leaks over the full life of a roof and, properly installed, simply don't leak." In fact, Vandermark's company has introduced a new ENERGY STAR qualified product line, marketing it as the No Leak Skylight. "These units offer many new energy saving features plus three layers of water protection and are fully warranted," he says. "They also carry an industry-first ten-year installation warranty in addition to product coverage."

Vandermark says that the growing availability of trained and certified skylight installation specialists also adds to the dependability of modern skylights.

And he points out that today's skylights contribute to energy efficiency with light and heat control as much as with ventilation by offering easily installed accessories to adjust and control light, as do vertical windows. "Venetian blinds are available to adjust light, as are roller blinds to diffuse light and blackout blinds to block light, and the accessories as well as the units themselves, can be operated by remote control," he says. Solar blinds are also available that qualify for a 30 percent federal tax credit.

"And ENERGY STAR qualified skylights with energy efficient, insulated, low-E glazings offer protection against solar heat gain, resist condensation twice as long as clear glass, and protect interiors by reflecting the vast majority of the sun's fade-causing rays," Vandermark says.

For skylight selection or installation information visit www.veluxusa.com. For government information on window and skylight energy efficiency visit www.energystar.gov, and for independent agency information visit www.nfrc.org or www.efficientwindows.org.

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

Media Information: For natural lighting/daylighting and solar water heating feature material, case histories and background information, news releases, press kits and images visit the press room/media area at veluxusa.com. Social media links for VELUX are facebook.com/veluxamerica and twitter.com/veluxamerica.

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