Kingston New High-Tech Skylights Let the Energy Savings Shine In
Most people who have constructed, visited or lived in a Kingston home built during the 1980s have seen a skylight. During the building boom of that decade, they were considered "the" feature to have in your house. The glass was not really glass, it was a white acrylic dome designed to provide even light distribution throughout the day, unlike standard flat glass windows. Unfortunately, poor installation methods, shoddy construction or the use of single-paned domes caused the skylights to leak and weep with condensation. One could also surmise that the use of similar technology caused homes of this era to experience weeping and condensation issues with regular wall mounted single-paned windows. As a result, energy costs were higher than they needed to be, mold and water damage was rampant and there was improper insulation of wall and attic cavities. Call your professional Kingston skylight installtion professionals for all of your sky light needs.
Skylights today are a much different beast than those of 30 years ago. To begin with, new technology in glass means the acrylic dome is gone and durable flat glass is back. Glazing has evolved from single layers pieced together via glazing bars, to one large sheet of glass. Double paned skylights (and windows) are constructed with a gas-filled space between the panes. Argon or krypton gas reduces conductive heat transfer, lowering heating and cooling costs of the home. Additionally, the frames are no longer aluminum. Most windows and skylights of the 1980's were framed with aluminum, substantially bringing down the initial purchase cost. The problem came when the homeowner would experience very low thermal resistance, severe condensation in cold weather and significant heat loss. Now the norm is PVC, vinyl or fiberglass frames, which may cost more at the outset but will garner considerable energy savings during the life of the house. Some styles of skylights even offer a venting feature with a built in sensor to close automatically if rain begins to fall.
Still on the subject of energy savings, there is one other component of Kingston skylight replacement that cannot be overlooked: insulation. Having the most technologically up to date skylight in your home will do no good if the ceiling cavity is nothing but two-by-fours and dust bunnies. The room will still feel cold in winter, oven-like in summer and you will find yourself with an unchanged heating/cooling bill. The best way to insulate an attic space properly is using spray foam insulation, not the pink batt variety. Spray foam insulation is designed to fill every nook and cranny so that there is zero air penetration. Therefore, cold air stays out and warm air stays in (vice versa in the hot months of course).
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