A great way to make both your business look good and to save money, commercial skylights are growing in popularity as people are becoming more and more aware of their benefits. If you’re considering buying a skylight for your commercial enterprise, here’s a guide that will help you to get the right skylight and help you to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Commercial Skylights – Do Your Plans Comply with any Potential Regulations?

Skylights are a great choice for any business but, depending on where you’re based, there could be some red tape in the way that determines exactly how big you need your skylight to be. An example of this is in California; any building that is over 5,000 square feet must have at least 75% of the floor plan lit by natural light. These kinds of regulations vary depending on where you are, so it may be a good idea to check the rules of where you’re based before you go ahead and order. Or, better yet, have your skylight company or contractor do it. They’ll know the business inside out, and will be more than happy to offer assistance.

Consider the Materials

Commercial skylights are available in a few different materials, each with their own benefits. The most popular two are that of glass and plastic. Plastic skylights are the cheapest option and are great at providing softer lighting to your business and can be arranged in different colours and shapes to prevent glare or hotspots from occurring. Glass skylights are more expensive but typically last longer, prevent outside sounds from being heard inside and are easier to maintain. Glass is also more versatile, with a range of different glass types that can be tailored to provide exactly what you want in terms of light allowance and heat retention. Whilst both are good choices, you should consider in depth what it is you want from your skylight and how they’ll work in your property.

Choose the Right Style

When it comes to commercial skylights, three dominant styles are available, each with their own benefits.

Tubular skylights

A passive skylight, tubular skylights are the go-to option to provide light to smaller, more enclosed spaces. They work by carrying light through a highly reflective tube, meaning they’re a great option if you need to get your light deep inside a property.

Prismatic skylights

The prism-effect of these skylights means light will hit them and travel down far and wide, illuminating a large area with soft, natural light.

Solar-tracking

By following the sun via GPS, the mirror can move to reflect light down into the building, providing optimal levels of lighting at all times of the day – perfect if you’re worried about the amount of light.

Easier than it Looks

Whilst it may look like there’s a lot to consider, choosing a commercial skylight isn’t too hard. If you have an idea of what you want, simply talk to your contractor and they’ll be able to make most of the hard decisions for you, and you’ll be able to impress him by relaying what you’ve just read. There are plenty of choices but one thing’s for certain – skylights are definitely the way forward.

When it comes to the home, more and more people are thinking of ways that they can become energy efficient. Whether you want to save the planet or save your money, becoming more energy efficient is easier than you think, and a great place to start is with a residential skylight.

How Can Residential Skylights Reduce Energy Consumption?

Lowering your home’s energy consumption can be done in many ways, and just a skylight alone has several ways in which it can help to reduce your overall consumption. A reduction in consumption can be achieved through:

• A Skylight’s Use of Natural Light

The clue is pretty much in the name – sky light. The fact that a skylight permits the entry of natural light into your home is arguably its best feature, and is a key feature when it comes to reducing energy consumption. By relying on bright, natural light coming in to your home, you’re negating the need for electrical lights to be running through the day, lowering your carbon footprint quite considerably. Not only will this reduce energy consumption, it will provide numerous health benefits and see your energy bills cut, too.

• Greenhouse-Like Solar Heating

A further feature that you might not know about skylights is the effect they can have on the heat of your home. Much like a greenhouse utilizes glass to trap and contain heat, your skylight can have the same effect. By positioning it facing eastwards, you’ll get the sun as it’s rising, warming the room in the morning. If it’s facing the west, you’ll have the same effect but later on in the day. This results in lesser energy consumption as you may not need to rely on the heating system in your home as much – you’ll be harnessing the power of the sun itself.

• Effective Heat Retention

Having a greenhouse effect isn’t the only one that a residential skylight will keep your house warmer. Given the high quality glass panes in skylights, they’re extremely effective when it comes to retaining heat inside your home, meaning you won’t have to run the furnace for quite so long or quite so high, lowering your energy consumption.

• Added Ventilation

A further benefit that a residential skylight will provide for your home is the added ventilation it can offer. Rather than having to use fans in order to provide air circulation and keep your home cool, you can open the skylight to take advantage of the breeze. Fan usage results in a serious number of electrical units consumed and you can run up quite a high bill, so this feature of a skylight is definitely welcome and a great way to reduce consumption.

Skylights – More than Simply an Attractive Feature

Skylights are popular because they look great, but they offer so much more than that. Whether it’s helping to heat your home or offer extra ventilation, they come with a range of benefits that people don’t know about and are pleasantly surprised by. One thing’s for sure – if you choose skylights, both the planet and your wallet will thank you.

If you have decided that skylights are a good investment for your company, you will of course need to find a firm in your area that can supply and install them at a competitive cost. When talking to each supplier that you consider, don’t forget to ask the questions in the list below, to make sure they are capable of doing a good job.

Finding the Right Firm for a Skylight Installation in Toronto

When talking to the firms that you come across, ask them the following questions so that you can properly evaluate each one.

1. How Much Experience Do You Have? – As far as the installation of commercial and residential skylights is concerned, the more experience the better. Poorly installed units often leak and will almost certainly need repairing or replacing sooner than those that are properly installed. For this reason, you should make sure that the firm you hire to take care of the installation process has plenty of experience in the business.

2. Are You Fully Insured? – It is vital to make sure that the contractors you hire carry full liability insurance for the work they are going to perform. While it is to be hoped that the installation process will go smoothly, you will not have to worry about who is going to pay in the event that any damage is caused to your home or commercial premises as long as your contractors are fully insured. Furthermore, any injuries sustained by their workers will also be covered by the same insurance policy.

3. Do You Use Your Own Designs? – A firm that has its own line of skylights will be intimately familiar with the type of issues faced during their installation and will therefore be more likely to do a first-class job on your property. While there are reputable contractors that perform skylight installation in Toronto of third-party units, those that install their own line are often more dependable.

4. Where Are You Based – While there is no need to rule out firms that are more than a few miles down the road from your home or business, those that are within easy reach will be more likely to provide a decent after-sales service than those that are based far away.

5. Do You Provide a Repair Service – Assuming that you pick a capable firm to carry out your skylight installation in Toronto, it is unlikely that you will need to have the units repaired for some considerable time. However, it is nice to know that the option is there in case it is ever needed. Furthermore, an experienced repair team will be aware of the mistakes that other installers make and will be sure to avoid them.

Whether you are looking for a firm that specializes in skylight installation in Toronto for commercial or domestic customers, get in touch with Aluplex today to request a competitive quotation. We have the high quality units and the highly skilled installation team that you need.

While not so expensive as to make them out of reach for the average company, commercial skylights do still represent a significant investment so it is worth taking the time to consider whether they are indeed a good choice for your organization. In this article, we are going to look at a few of the most important  factors to think about when making your decision and we hope that, having digested all of the information that is relevant to your company, it will be much easier for you to decide what to do.

Factors to Take into Account When Considering Commercial Skylights

All of the factors below will play a part in deciding whether the installation of new skylights in your premises will benefit your company.

• Amount of Existing Natural Light – The companies that will derive the most benefit from the installation of skylights are those with premises where very little daylight is currently able to penetrate. If you can increase the amount of natural light in your offices, warehouses, or manufacturing facilities, you could make considerable savings on your electricity bills over time.

• Visiting Customers – If you are running a retail outlet or another type of business where customers visit to choose the products they wish to purchase, more daylight could have a positive effect on your sales figures. It has been demonstrated that natural light can improve the mood of those who are exposed to it, and as all sales and marketing gurus know, people in a good mood are far more likely to spend money.

• Morale of Employees – If the morale of your team of workers could do with a boost, the installation of commercial skylights could be an excellent way to achieve this aim. In the same way that more daylight can improve the mood of your customers, it can do the very same thing for your employees as well. If you think of the areas of your own home in which you feel happiest, you will probably find that they are the rooms with the most natural daylight.

• Effectiveness of Existing Product Displays – Retail organizations that are having problems getting the lighting just right for their product displays may find that natural light is the answer to all their problems. While some goods may look better under artificial lighting, many will look far more attractive when lit by the sun’s rays, either directly or indirectly. You may need to experiment with the positioning of your displays after the installation of new skylights but you should be able to take advantage of the extra light with a little trial and error.

In addition to the above factors, you should consider the cost of maintaining your current lighting system. If this could be reduced by installing commercial skylights, it would be another benefit that your corporate accountants are sure to appreciate. To request a quotation or to ask any questions you may have about our range of skylights, please do not hesitate to call or email us at any time.

Given their size, cluster skylights are most often used for commercial applications, allowing large amounts of natural light to enter the building, in addition to providing a architectural focal. A quick image search on any of the major search engines and you will probably come across countless examples of cluster skylights acting as a rather dramatic accent to a flight of stairs or perhaps even a central point in the building. They are as much about visual impact as they are about the performance related benefits that they offer. However, they don’t look quite so good if there are serious problems with condensation in the property.

Why Do Cluster Skylights Sometimes Suffer Issues With Condensation?

We’ve worked with a number of commercial property owners in Toronto over the years, many of whom became increasingly frustrated when trying to deal with condensation related issues. They just couldn’t understand why this problem was occurring or how to fix it. The reason why you will often notice condensation on cluster skylights is actually very simply; warm air that is loaded with moisture rises and will eventually hit the skylights. This doesn’t mean that there’s an issue with your cluster skylights. It’s an indicator that there’s too much moisture in the air, which is a common problem in newer buildings.

Steps that Can be Taken to Limit the Presence of Condensation

If you notice condensation on your cluster skylights, which will undoubt edly detract from their impressive appearance, you should act fast since it can lead to a range of other problems, including:

• The growth of mold and mildew on walls and ceilings.
• Deterioration in the condition of furniture.
• Bubbling and peeling of paint.
• Severe damage to wooden structural supports.

To prevent these issues and the presence of condensation on your cluster skylights, it’s imperative that you limit the amount of water vapour (which the air carries) in the building. This can be achieved by doing the following:

• Utilize dehumidifier units to remove moisture from the air.
• Periodically open your cluster skylights, allowing the warmer air that’s loaded with water vapour to escape, while cooler, dryer air is able to enter.
• Have additional vents installed close to your cluster skylights and windows in the property.
• Install ceiling fans, which will prevent warm air from rising to the point that it condenses on the skylights.

Tips to Help Maintain Cluster Skylights

Even if you take all possible action to reduce the amount of condensation in the building, it’s still important that cluster skylights are regularly maintained (will likely require professional assistance). Mold and mildew can start to grow on skylights that are exposed to condensation problems and it’s important that this is killed with a sterilized agent and then removed. The surface of the skylights should then be thoroughly cleaned down.
Aluplex Skylights has been servicing the community of Toronto for over 25 years and we consider ourselves to be an authority on anything relating to skylights. If you require any help or advice, or wish to arrange a free consultation, get in touch with us today.

Residential and commercial skylights are available in a wide range of different shapes and sizes, from flat skylights that are fixed in place to tubular skylights that are space efficient and very effective at distributing the sun’s natural light, it’s usually possible to find a model that is suited to the conditions at any property.  One of the most intriguing designs is that of pyramid skylights, which can be effortlessly integrated into the design of both new and period buildings, such is their versatility.  But how do you know whether they will be a good fit for your home?
What You Need to Know About Pyramid Skylights
The requirements and benefits associated with different types of skylights do vary and rather than rushing into a purchase, we would recommend you spend some time learning about the specific types of skylights that you’re interested in. Here’s what you need to know about pyramid skylights:

• Can Be Installed on Most Roof Types – One factor that can influence the type of skylights installation that you ultimately opt for is the pitch of your roof. This is something you can’t change, at least not without considerable cost, and certain types of skylight can only be installed on certain roof pitches. Pyramid skylights are quite versatile in this respect since they can be installed on flat roofs, although the “norm” is a roof with a pitch of 30 degrees.
• Design Versatility – As we’ve already pointed out, pyramid skylights can be installed at both modern and period style properties and do a good job of complementing other architectural features, but they tend to work best on the former. This is because the clean, angled lines that these skylights boast tend to provide a very contemporary look and feel.
• Maximise Natural Light – As pyramid skylights are multi-dimensional, unlike flat skylights, the amount of light that flows into the property through them is increased. More natural light further decreases your dependence upon artificial light . So if you’re seeking to illuminate a particularly dark area in your home, pyramid skylights could be the best option.

The Different Options Available With Pyramid Skylights
Selecting pyramid skylights for your property is just the first step. There are then many other factors to consider before you even get close to the final product that will be installed at your property. Some of these include:

• Glazing – Do you want acrylic or glass glazing? What about special films that can be applied during the manufacturing process to help control temperature and fading of interior design elements?
• Size – While larger pyramid skylights do let more light into a property, they will also increase the interior temperature and potentially make your HVAC system work harder. The size needs to be carefully calculated.
• Opening – Do you want to be able to open your skylight to allow for the circulation of fresh air? There are both manual and electric mechanisms that can be fitted to allow this functionality.

Pyramid skylights are a great option for many types of properties. To get further information on them or any other type of skylight, please get in touch with our friendly and experienced team in Toronto.