Opening up a building and increasing the amount of natural light that flows into it has been found to have a number of very important benefits, particularly in a commercial environment, such as boosting productivity and raising concentration levels. For that reason, architects have been asked to integrate skylights into building design on an ever more frequent basis in recent years, but there’s always been one highly debated question: Are glass or acrylic skylights better? Aluplex has been involved in the installation and repair of skylights in the Toronto area for many years and it’s a question we’ve personally been asked on countless occasions, which is why we’re going to point out some of the pros and cons of each option below.

Acrylic Skylights: Are They Better than Their Glass Counterparts?

Neither option is really “better” than the other option, it’s just a case of selecting the option that is most suitable to your requirements. Here’s some of the main pros and cons of both acrylic skylights and glass skylights to help you do this.

• Roof Pitch – The shape of your property’s roof is one of the main factors to consider when choosing between glass and acrylic skylights. Acrylic or plastic skylights as they’re otherwise known can be installed on just about any type and shape of roof, including flat roofs. However, a glass skylight cannot be installed on a roof that doesn’t have at least a 2/12 pitch without some serious modifications, which naturally drives the overall cost of the project up.
• Colour and Coating Options Available – This is where glass skylights have the upper hand. Acrylic skylights are typically only available in a limited range of colours and coatings, and the choice you make will usually influence the amount of light that enters the property, the amount of heat loss and the amount of heat gain. However, with glass skylights there are many more options available and these options can be used to manipulate the performance of the skylight to meet your requirements.
• Maintenance Requirements – Acrylic skylights are very easy to maintain (use a soapy dishwater mixture and wipe them), but you have to be more careful in terms of the cleaning solutions that you use as many store bought options contain chemicals that can cause damage to the plastic. These solutions can usually be applied to glass skylights without risk of damage however.
• Longevity – How long a product is expected to last is an important factor in any buying decision and glass skylights, probably unsurprisingly, will usually outlast acrylic skylights. Glass skylights are generally expected to last 30 years or more, while the life expectancy of acrylic skylights is usually around the 20 year mark.
• Cost – If you find yourself wanting to invest in skylights installation but you are on a limited budget, acrylic skylights are available from most contractors in the industry for much lower prices and considering their expected lifespan, they represent genuine value for money.

With years of experience in skylights repair and installation in Toronto, if you have any questions relating to either glass or acrylic skylights don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Aluplex Skylights.

While almost everyone is aware of what a skylight is and the benefits that they can bring to a property, most people’s knowledge doesn’t extend any further. However, if you’re seriously considering having residential skylights installed at your home, it’s advisable that you do some background reading around the subject, particularly into the different types of residential skylights that can be purchased. Each option has their own unique attributes that could affect (and hopefully benefit) your home in their own unique way. After more than three decades in the industry, we’ve installed just about all of the different variations of residential (and commercial) skylights that there are and we are going to talk you through a few of the main options in this article – ventilating, fixed and tubular skylights.

Residential Skylights: There’s More Than Just One Option!

• Fixed Skylights – As the name rather suggests, with this option the skylight is fixed into position and can’t be opened or closed. They are typically used to illuminate long stretches of the home where the most important requirement is the amount of light that enters the interior, such as hallways or stairways. These are areas are typically normally quite dark and the additional light provided by fixed residential skylights not only makes it easier to navigate these areas, but it makes them appear larger too.
• Ventilating Skylights – In other parts of the home that are more frequently used, not being able to open the skylight can be an issue that causes the space to smell and the air to go “stale.” That’s where ventilating residential skylights come in. They can be opened and closed to ensure a supply of fresh air can easily be circulated around your home, helping to prevent the aforementioned problems. As hot, humid air rises, it exits the property and is replaced by cooler air, which helps to ensure the correct moisture balance is sustained. As they are often located at a considerable height, ventilating residential skylights will be installed with some sort of mechanism to enable you to open and close it, which can be manual or motorised. Other features can be integrated into the system to automate its operation, including detectors that monitor humidity and temperature levels within the property, as well as rain sensors.
• Tubular Skylights – This is a cost effective solution that is typically utilized when it’s simply not possible to install fixed or ventilating residential skylights due to their size. They utilize a small collector dome, which is installed on the roof, a highly reflective delivery tube that runs from the roof until the ceiling inside the house, and a light diffuser which is installed into the ceiling of the target room. This system channels the sun’s natural light into your home and then distributes it evenly throughout the room. They offer a number of advantages over the first two options, including reducing the potential for glare and irregular light patterns.

To learn more about each of these options and discover which one is most suited to your needs, contact the experienced Toronto based team at Aluplex on (416) 665-4482.

Residential skylights have rapidly grown in popularity among homeowners in Toronto in recent years, but what about commercial skylights? Are they able to benefit businesses in the same way that they benefit homeowners? If you own a commercial property and you’re looking to ensure its design is as efficient as it can possibly be, there are a number of reasons to consider having commercial skylights installed and we’re going to discuss some of the main ones during this article.

A Few Very Good Reasons to Consider Having Commercial Skylights Installed

How could commercial skylights possibly benefit your business? Aren’t they just essentially planned “gaps” in the roof that let the light from the sun inside?! While that is a description that is technically correct, if not a little basic, commercial skylights can benefit a commercial operation quite significantly in many cases, as you’ll find out below:

• Considerable Energy Savings – In a commercial environment, one of the biggest drains in terms of energy usage is artificial lighting. Through various studies it has been found to account for approximately 40 percent of the total energy usage in the average commercial building. 40 percent! Skylights allow natural light to be used and reduce your dependence on artificial lighting to the point that it is used up to 70 percent less in most cases. This translates to considerable savings and ensures the initial outlay is recouped in a relatively short amount of time.
• Creates a Healthy Environment – There are many studies that have been conducted that have found a lack of exposure to natural light and frequent exposure to artificial lighting can be harmful to your health. Commercial skylights ensure your premises is flooded with natural light containing vitamin D, which is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Natural light is also thought to have a positive impact upon mental health and this is thought to lead to greater productivity levels and fewer days absent from work.
• Environmentally Friendly  The push towards being environmentally friendly and sustainable has been huge in recent years as the whole world pulls together in order to protect the earth’s atmosphere and preserve its depleted supply of natural resources. Commercial skylights are a great way to reduce your company’s carbon footprint and become greener, since you will consume less energy as a result of skylights installation, and the alternative you will be using is completely sustainable and doesn’t give off any harmful by products.
• Further Cost Savings – It’s not just the  energy that is an ongoing cost when utilizing artificial lighting; the actual lights themselves and the bulbs (which need replacing) can cost a considerable amount in a large commercial property. And then there can be electrical issues that need repairing (not free either!). The light that filters through commercial skylights and into your property’s interior is not only free but it’s also uncomplicated and doesn’t need any other form of technology to work.

If you’re thinking of having one or more commercial skylights installed, contact the team at Aluplex for further help and information.

If you’ve decided to invest in octagon skylights for your property, whether it be a commercial or residential setting, you have almost certainly made that decision to capitalise on the wide range of practical benefits that such a feature can offer. However, should you make poor decisions that lead to a decrease in the energy efficiency and performance of your new skylight, the benefits of having it installed might be somewhat neutralised. It’s therefore important to be aware of the design considerations that can have an effect upon energy efficiency and performance before you start.

Maximise the Performance of Octagon Skylights: Design Considerations

As one of the leading companies for skylights installation in Toronto, we make it our business to be aware of all of the possible factors that can influence the performance of our products. When having octagon skylights (or any other type of skylights for that matter) installed, here are some of the main design factors that must be considered:

• Size of Skylights – How big are the octagon skylights that you’re planning to have installed? It goes without saying that the physical size of the skylight affects how much light is able to filter into your property (level of illumination), as well as the temperature of the air directly below the skylight. If it is installed in a room that already contains a lot of windows, it is recommended that the skylight occupy no more than five percent of the total floor area of the room. This can be increased to fifteen percent in rooms that don’t feature many windows.
• The Position of the Skylights – Octagon skylights that are positioned on roofs that point towards the north receive a fairly constant supply of sunlight, while those facing the east are known to harvest the most amount of light overall. However, octagon skylights that are installed on south facing roofs will often cause overheating inside the property during the warm summer months in Toronto, but are effective at providing solar heating in the cool winter months.
• The Type of Glazing – One of the other main factors affecting the performance of residential and commercial skylights is the type of glazing that is used. Plastic glazing doesn’t generally do an effective job of filtering out harmful UV rays, which are known to cause fading of interior decor items. However, it is possible to select glazing (both glass and plastic glazing options) that feature special types of films that control the amount of sunlight that is able to enter the property, thus helping to manage the interior temperature and deal with issues such as fading.
• The Quality of Installation – Performance isn’t just down to the quality of the product itself; poor skylights installation can have serious consequences in terms of energy efficiency and performance too. The skylight needs to be properly sealed and installed flush to other architectural element of your house, otherwise air leakage could become a problem, allowing heat energy to escape. Always select a reputable contractor to install your skylights. Paying a little more upfront can often result in savings that run into the hundreds or even thousands over the course of the skylight’s lifespan.

Aluplex is proud to offer a wide range of different skylights, including octagon skylights and pyramid skylights, and would be glad to assist you should you need any further help.

The concept of allowing natural light to enter a space from a window in the ceiling goes back at least as far as the Roman Empire. The 2,000 year old Pantheon (still standing in central Rome) is one of the earliest examples of this. It wasn’t until high quality glass became available during the industrial revolution however, that skylights became a common feature in people’s homes. Today, while nearly everyone agrees that residential skylights look great there is still something of a debate going on regarding whether they’re worth the investment.

The Many Benefits of Residential Skylights

Here’s our list of 6 reasons we believe residential skylights are worth every penny you’re willing to invest in them.

1. Skylights Bring on the Light – A home with skylights is one flooded with natural light. So much so that during the day artificial light may almost never be necessary. Over the course of several years the savings on your electric bill alone will justify installing skylights.
2. Skylights Bring in the Warmth – During the winter months in Toronto anything that can introduce more heat into a home without adding to the energy bill is welcome. During the middle part of the day when the sun is most intense having windows in your ceiling can help keep your house warm and cozy and help you keep the thermostat set nice and low.
3. Skylights Add Resale Value – Whether used as part of a sunroom or scattered about the house to open things up and bring in light and heat, skylights add real bottom line value to a home, especially in a cold weather market like the GTA.
4. Skylights Add Light While Retaining Privacy – In crowded urban areas privacy is an important concern for many people and residential skylights offer the perfect alternative to having a dark house in the middle of the day. If necessary you can pull the curtains and still enjoy beautiful sunlight flooding into your home.
5. Skylights are a Plant’s Best Friend – There are plenty of places you’d like to have plants in your house but can’t because of the lack of natural light. Any room with skylights automatically becomes plant friendly and helps to make your entire home more beautiful and welcoming.
6. Skylights Have Come a Long Way Since the Pantheon – Today’s residential skylights can be opened and closed by remote control and, if you like, come equipped with blinds that can be controlled the same way. Skylights are even available today that will close themselves if they sense rain or snow. Imagine if your garage door could do that!

Today’s residential skylights are marvels of engineering with a slew of practical applications that also just happen to make your home look like a million bucks. The days of single, fragile panes of glass sitting uneasily in slowly rotting wooden casements are long gone and today’s skylights will give you years of low maintenance joy, while adding real value to your home in the process. Call us toll free at 1-877-ALUPLEX (258-7539) to find out more about skylights installation in Toronto or emergency skylights repair.

Skylights are an amazingly simple way to bring the interior of your home to life, reduce your electric and heating bills and add resale value to your home. Unfortunately they can sometimes develop leaks that should be fixed as soon as they are discovered. This is especially true of older skylights. Some folks will take a laid-back approach and not want to call for skylights repair. Toronto weather however, isn’t going to wait for you to take action and before you know it you’ll have a cascade of other issues that will make you wish you’d done something when the leaks first appeared.

The Downside of Delaying Skylights Repair in Toronto

Skylights are ideally situated to make the most of available sunlight. However, they’re also ideally situated to create maximum havoc with other elements of your home should something go wrong with them. Here are several problems caused by chronically leaky residential skylights you won’t have if you call Aluplex skylights repair Toronto.

• Damage to Your Walls – You may know there’s a slow leak around one of your skylights but decide it’s no big deal because it’s not dripping on you while you watch football. But the fact you don’t need an umbrella to watch TV doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. Water can seep from your roof into your walls where it can damage drywall, wood paneling, wainscoting and a host of other things that will require expensive repairs.
• Damaged Furniture – Sometimes a slow leak, if ignored, will suddenly become a fast leak that rains down upon your expensive furniture, wood flooring and oriental rugs. If this happens while you’re out of the house one night or away on vacation… ouch!
• Mold – Leaky skylights create perpetually damp areas in the ceiling and walls allowing mold to take hold and spread. Mold is a powerful allergen that can have a long term detrimental effect on everyone in the home if not rooted out and the source of the moisture repaired.
• Damaged Flooring – A leaky skylight in the attic can cause damage to the floor that slowly spreads and becomes damage to the ceiling below which may result in damage to any wiring in the floor/ceiling and, well, you get the idea.
• Widespread Damage to Your Roof – A slow leak around the margins of your residential skylights can allow enough water into the roof structure to cause widespread damage and require major repair and replacement work.

While a few drops of water may not seem like anything major it could be that the actual leaking has been going on for some time and is only now making itself known. Call Aluplex the minute you discover you have a problem for the best skylights repair in Toronto. We’ll be there regardless of the weather because we know that prompt, effective action is the key to staving off other issues down the road. Don’t wait for the problem to take you by the collar. Call Aluplex skylights repair Toronto today and save yourself time, money and major headaches tomorrow.