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#1
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Heat loss through skylight
I have 6 skylights in my house (12 year old house).
In trying to lower my heating bills, I am looking at all possible ideas to save. I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? |
#2
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Heat loss through skylight
You might get some improvement by adding ceiling fans or a ducted
circulation fan to move the warm air at the ceiling back to near floor level. If your skylights are at the top of a shaft you can close off the shaft at celing level with a plastic panel. The skylight is a window which is less insulated that the ceiling and since warm air rises it is even worse than a standard window. I have seen installations where the skylight is covered with an insulated panel during winter. |
#3
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Heat loss through skylight
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#5
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Heat loss through skylight
wrote in message I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. It could also be that those rooms just don't get as much heat anyway. While your conclusion may or may not be correct, the reasoning is wrong. If the skylights don't have some sort of double pane or storm panel, add one. Watch for excessive heat buildup though, when the sun shines |
#6
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Heat loss through skylight
dadiOH wrote:
wrote: I have 6 skylights in my house (12 year old house). In trying to lower my heating bills, I am looking at all possible ideas to save. I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? Step #1, check to see that you are actually losing heat....climb up to the top and see what the temperature is. On sunny day it will most likely be *way* hotter than your house and you are gaining; probably will lose at night. Maybe they'll balance each other out. The highest point will always be the hottest, no? The skylight loses heat all of the time. The room will gain some heat during the day, dependent on orientation and weather, due to solar gain. It's possible that the solar gain may outweigh the heat loss, but unless there's some heat storage mechanism, and the skylit rooms have their own thermostats, the room temperature will fluctuate between too hot and too cold. Adding another gasketed pane of glass or plastic to seal off the bottom of the skylight or skylight shaft will go a long way to help minimize heat loss. Ceiling fans will help mix the air and help keep the heat more evenly distributed throught the height of the room - it will keep more heat where people live - 6' and lower. On the flip side, a retractable awning/shade will help keep some of the excess solar gain from warming the room and its contents during the summer. R |
#7
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Heat loss through skylight
wrote in message oups.com... I have 6 skylights in my house (12 year old house). In trying to lower my heating bills, I am looking at all possible ideas to save. I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? Why is there air? Since you provide absolutely no information on your construction/type of skylights and climate, I refer you back to my questions. |
#8
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Heat loss through skylight
SQLit wrote: wrote in message oups.com... I have 6 skylights in my house (12 year old house). In trying to lower my heating bills, I am looking at all possible ideas to save. I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? Why is there air? Since you provide absolutely no information on your construction/type of skylights and climate, I refer you back to my questions. Sorry...here are some details: The skylights are flat (not the bubble type). The brand, I believe, is Velux. I live in Chicago. I have thought about getting plexiglass installed to the inside frame but now concerned that it may not be a good idea since during summer, the 'pocket' between the plexiglass and the skylight might get too hot. |
#9
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Heat loss through skylight
I just installed a sheet of tempered glass in a clients skylight. Her's
is more like 85 years old. Built like those old casement windows. As soon as we dropped it in place you could feel the draft stop. The air shaft to this one was more like 5-6' deep. It was in Evanston, by the way. You could also use polycarbonate or that multi channel stuff they use for greenhouses. That would certainly take any temperature you could throw at it. Richard |
#10
Posted to alt.home.repair,alt.solar.thermal
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Heat loss through skylight
wrote:
I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? The skylights are flat (not the bubble type)... I live in Chicago. December is the worst-case month for solar house heating in Chicago, when 460 Btu/ft^2 falls on the ground and 740 falls on a south wall on an average 26.6 F day with a 34.0 daily max, so 1 ft^2 of single of R1 horizontal glazing with 90% transmission would gain 414 Btu and lose 24h(65-26.6)1ft^2/R1 = 922 for a net loss of 508 Btu per day. I have thought about getting plexiglass installed to the inside frame Good idea. That might reduce the gain to 373 and reduce the loss to 461 for a net loss of 88 vs 508. but now concerned that it may not be a good idea since during summer, the 'pocket' between the plexiglass and the skylight might get too hot. In full sun (say 250 Btu/h-ft^2) in Chicago, 225 might pass through the first glazing and 203 might pass through the second, a difference of 22. If it's 83.7 F indoors and outdoors (the average daily max in July), R1 resistors to that indoor and outdoor temp might make the temp between the glazings 83.7+22xR0.5 = 94.7 F, which seems OK. I once made a hinged Styrofoam shutter for a west-facing skylight with a 1:1 slope and several layers of glazing and painted the skylight side black to make it warmer in wintertime, if the shutter were closed most of the time. It was, but after the dead of winter, the Styrofoam melted into a black mountain range with pink crevasses and peaks around the screws that held the foam to the plywood backing. It got nice reviews in an art show :-) An R2 skylight might collect 0.81x1940 = 1571 Btu/ft^2 of unwelcome solar heat on an average July day in Chicago. A reflector hinged at the north edge of the glazing might eliminate most of that and enhance winter collection. Sun elevations in Chicago (N lat 41.8) are 90-41.8+/-23.5 = 71.7 and 24.8 degrees above the horizon at noon on 12/21 and 6/21, so the upper edge of a reflector can block all the direct noon summer sun if it's on a 71.7 degree elevation line up from the south edge of the glazing, like this, viewed in a fixed font: . - - - . . | -- north 1.5' . . 1.12' . . | . . 48.2 degrees 71.7 degrees ............----------------------.................. 1' If the glazing is 1' wide in the north-south direction, we can bounce all the noon winter sun into it if the reflector edge has a 90-41.8 = 41.2 degree elevation angle from the north edge of the glazing, which makes the upper edge 1tan(48.2) = 1.12' above the south glazing edge, with a sqrt(1+1.12^2) = 1.5' slant height, so 1 ft^2 of skylight would collect about 0.9x0.81x740 = 539 Btu and lose 461, for a net gain of 79 Btu/ft^2 per day. If we replace the skylight glazing with hinged R10 foil-foamboard and use 1.12' of R1 vertical glazing and raise the board up to 48.2 degrees during the day, we might collect 0.9x0.9x740 = 599 Btu and lose 6h(70-30)1.12ft^2/R1 = 269 during the day and 18h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R10 = 69 at night, for a net gain of 261Btu/ft^2 per day. If we leave the R2 glazing in place and use 1.12' of R1 vertical glazing, we might collect 482 Btu and lose about 6h(70-30)1ft^2/R3 = 80 during the day and 57 at night, for a net gain of 344. Nick |
#11
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Heat loss through skylight
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#12
Posted to alt.home.repair,alt.solar.thermal
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Heat loss through skylight
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#13
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Heat loss through skylight
Velux is the leading and quality brand of skylights. Ones that are 12
years old should be reasonably energy efficient, provided they are still intact and have not loss the seal between panes. I agree with those that have said the skylights may not be your problem. There are lots of other factors at work. How the heating systems is set up and balanced is one. Another is any other differences in rooms. For example, skylights are often used in rooms with cathedral ceilings. Those areas take more heat because of the high ceiling, plus frequently these ceilings have less insulation than one with an attic. I have two good size Velux in my family room and don't have any problem with the room being colder. Plus, you have to balance what you are achieving. If you save some energy by putting up something more to shield the windows and it looks like hell or blocks the light, is it worth it? |
#14
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Heat loss through skylight
My code for ceilings is R 35 mimimun, a single pane glass is R 1, dual
pane lowEargon R 3.3. Seal it up with R 7.2" foamboard glued together for R 30+ for winter, or put it on hinges to open only in daylight, use a rope or some sort of device. Or get fancy and motorise it and use x10 controllers. I use Foamboard the R 7.2" type to seal a few windows and fireplace. On my fireplace I screwed in steel L channel and glued magnetic tape to the foamboard, 3 sheets glued together to seal to the steel L channel, its a removable Plug, it made a big difference in warmth in the living room and furnace cycles less. Skylights are like a hole in your ceiling letting out heat. Since heat rises no glass made is considered energy efficient enough for ceilings in high heat Zones. |
#15
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Heat loss through skylight
wrote in message oups.com... SQLit wrote: wrote in message oups.com... I have 6 skylights in my house (12 year old house). In trying to lower my heating bills, I am looking at all possible ideas to save. I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? Why is there air? Since you provide absolutely no information on your construction/type of skylights and climate, I refer you back to my questions. Sorry...here are some details: The skylights are flat (not the bubble type). The brand, I believe, is Velux. I live in Chicago. I have thought about getting plexiglass installed to the inside frame but now concerned that it may not be a good idea since during summer, the 'pocket' between the plexiglass and the skylight might get too hot. Have you considered your idea as seasonal? Plexi or plastic will warp and absorb a lot of light. A lot cheaper for one season UV light eats the plastics over time and they will turn yellowish. |
#16
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Heat loss through skylight
I have 2 baths with Velox Lo E skylights
(about 4 square feet each) and motorized vent flaps (no windows in either). I haven't noticed any "cooler" problems as long as the vent is closed. These 2 baths are not that big. However, even if open, the air tends to go out, so it may produce a draft of moving air, but not cold outside air. I also have 2 of these same units in the kitchen, however, as the kitchen is open to 3 other rooms, I probably wouldn't notice. BTW, also in the Chicago Burbs. SQLit wrote: wrote in message oups.com... SQLit wrote: wrote in message egroups.com... I have 6 skylights in my house (12 year old house). In trying to lower my heating bills, I am looking at all possible ideas to save. I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? Why is there air? Since you provide absolutely no information on your construction/type of skylights and climate, I refer you back to my questions. Sorry...here are some details: The skylights are flat (not the bubble type). The brand, I believe, is Velux. I live in Chicago. I have thought about getting plexiglass installed to the inside frame but now concerned that it may not be a good idea since during summer, the 'pocket' between the plexiglass and the skylight might get too hot. Have you considered your idea as seasonal? Plexi or plastic will warp and absorb a lot of light. A lot cheaper for one season UV light eats the plastics over time and they will turn yellowish. |
#17
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Heat loss through skylight
Hi Art,
You said you have "motorized vent flaps" on your skylights. Did you get these installed (as an addition)? If so, where can I buy them? Would appreciate a contact number for the company where you bought them from and also the installer. I called Velux and they said they have retractable shutters (motorized or non-motorized, but basically to block sunshine). Are the "motorized vent flaps" same as the retractable shutters? I am thinking of having Velux installed retractable shutters as the two skylights in the vaulted family room bring in sun directly on to my TV, making it almost impossible to see anything on the screen (during non-winter months). TIA. Art Todesco wrote: I have 2 baths with Velox Lo E skylights (about 4 square feet each) and motorized vent flaps (no windows in either). I haven't noticed any "cooler" problems as long as the vent is closed. These 2 baths are not that big. However, even if open, the air tends to go out, so it may produce a draft of moving air, but not cold outside air. I also have 2 of these same units in the kitchen, however, as the kitchen is open to 3 other rooms, I probably wouldn't notice. BTW, also in the Chicago Burbs. SQLit wrote: wrote in message oups.com... SQLit wrote: wrote in message egroups.com... I have 6 skylights in my house (12 year old house). In trying to lower my heating bills, I am looking at all possible ideas to save. I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? Why is there air? Since you provide absolutely no information on your construction/type of skylights and climate, I refer you back to my questions. Sorry...here are some details: The skylights are flat (not the bubble type). The brand, I believe, is Velux. I live in Chicago. I have thought about getting plexiglass installed to the inside frame but now concerned that it may not be a good idea since during summer, the 'pocket' between the plexiglass and the skylight might get too hot. Have you considered your idea as seasonal? Plexi or plastic will warp and absorb a lot of light. A lot cheaper for one season UV light eats the plastics over time and they will turn yellowish. |
#18
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Heat loss through skylight
m Ransley errs again:
Skylights are like a hole in your ceiling letting out heat. Since heat rises no glass made is considered energy efficient enough for ceilings in high heat Zones. Nonsense. InsUlation only slows heat loss. If each layer of glazing blocks 10% sun and adds R1, the net loss for an N layer skylight on an average Dec day in Chicago is 0.9^Nx460-24h(65-26.7)/N Btu/ft^2, ie any skylight with more than 2 layers will have a net gain, vs a loss for mere insulation. Nick |
#19
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Heat loss through skylight
The Velux units I have are about 26" x
~24". They fits between a 24" on-center roof truss. They came with a small hinged wood flap at the top, which can be operated by cords or by a "stick with a hook." Check out http://www.veluxusa.com/products/sky...dWithVentFlap/ They offered an optional motor and controller to open and close the flap. When I bought the last 2 of them, they were about $80 or $90 each. The controller was very pricey (~$200), so I engineered my own. The motors run on DC, one polarity to open and one to close. They have built-in limit switches. I used a transformer with a full wave rectifier. A rocker switch applies the + DC in one position and - DC in the other. BTW, the last ones were purchased about 8 - 10 years ago. I couldn't find the motors on their website, but maybe I just didn't dig far enough. wrote: Hi Art, You said you have "motorized vent flaps" on your skylights. Did you get these installed (as an addition)? If so, where can I buy them? Would appreciate a contact number for the company where you bought them from and also the installer. I called Velux and they said they have retractable shutters (motorized or non-motorized, but basically to block sunshine). Are the "motorized vent flaps" same as the retractable shutters? I am thinking of having Velux installed retractable shutters as the two skylights in the vaulted family room bring in sun directly on to my TV, making it almost impossible to see anything on the screen (during non-winter months). TIA. Art Todesco wrote: I have 2 baths with Velox Lo E skylights (about 4 square feet each) and motorized vent flaps (no windows in either). I haven't noticed any "cooler" problems as long as the vent is closed. These 2 baths are not that big. However, even if open, the air tends to go out, so it may produce a draft of moving air, but not cold outside air. I also have 2 of these same units in the kitchen, however, as the kitchen is open to 3 other rooms, I probably wouldn't notice. BTW, also in the Chicago Burbs. SQLit wrote: wrote in message egroups.com... SQLit wrote: wrote in message glegroups.com... I have 6 skylights in my house (12 year old house). In trying to lower my heating bills, I am looking at all possible ideas to save. I have noticed that the rooms with skylights are MUCH cooler than other rooms, making me conclude that heat is being lost through the skylights. How do I minimize this heat loss? Why is there air? Since you provide absolutely no information on your construction/type of skylights and climate, I refer you back to my questions. Sorry...here are some details: The skylights are flat (not the bubble type). The brand, I believe, is Velux. I live in Chicago. I have thought about getting plexiglass installed to the inside frame but now concerned that it may not be a good idea since during summer, the 'pocket' between the plexiglass and the skylight might get too hot. Have you considered your idea as seasonal? Plexi or plastic will warp and absorb a lot of light. A lot cheaper for one season UV light eats the plastics over time and they will turn yellowish. |
#21
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Heat loss through skylight
Nick you are an idiot, there is to little sunshine in winter to give a
net gain, the days are to short, the suns angle to low at Chicago latitudes. I replaced a 6ftx9ft single pane S facing window with Tri pane and insulating curtains, That alone cut my utilities in winter 10 %. You also Assume its always sunny in chicago. |
#22
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Heat loss through skylight
m Ransley errs again:
Nick you are an idiot, there is to little sunshine in winter to give a net gain, the days are to short, the suns angle to low at Chicago latitudes. I replaced a 6ftx9ft single pane S facing window with Tri pane and insulating curtains, That alone cut my utilities in winter 10 %. You also Assume its always sunny in chicago. You are wrong on all counts. Try numbers :-) Nick |
#23
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Heat loss through skylight
Nick you are wrong on all accounts try experiance with windows. Your
numbers dont account for real life weather. |
#24
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Heat loss through skylight
If what you stated was in fact true it would be the single biggest
selling point manufacturers of skylights could wish for. So look for your self, find the claims and post all the net energy gains from manufacturers of Chicago lattitude. You can`t because they don`t exist. Your numbers and theory are flawed. I see neighbors go to double pane, and many more remove them. Skylights cost energy in the real world. You are like a bad computer program. |
#25
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Heat loss through skylight
m Ransley errs again:
Nick you are an idiot, there is to little sunshine in winter to give a net gain, the days are to short, the suns angle to low at Chicago latitudes... You also Assume its always sunny in chicago. You are wrong on all counts. Try numbers :-) One more time: 460 Btu/ft^2 of sun falls on the ground on an average 26.7 F December day in Chicago. Unlike insulation, any skylight with more than 2 layers of glazing will gain more solar heat than it loses... 6 is optimal: 20 FOR N=1 TO 8'layers of glazing 30 GAIN=460*.9^N-24*(65-26.7)/N'Btu-ft^2-day 40 PRINT 100+N;"'";GAIN 50 NEXT layers net gain 1 -505.2 Btu/ft^2-day 2 -87 3 28.93997 4 72.00598 5 87.78537 6 91.26282 7 88.70224 8 83.11487 A skylight with a south tilt or a shutter or a reflector can gain more. Insulation can only LOSE heat. Nick |
#26
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Heat loss through skylight
m Ransley Dec 27, 4:20 pm
"Skylights cost energy in the real world. You are like a bad computer program. " So does any window and last time I checked most houses have lots of those. I'm unconvinced that a skylight is so much worse than a similar size double pane window in a wall. Both have inside air against the glass, don't they? Sure, the air may be a few degrees warmer at the ceiling surface than at a window located in a wall, but in the big picture, I don't think it amounts to much. |
#27
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Heat loss through skylight
Today and this time of year 6 hr of radiant energy from the sun is all
you get, if it isnt cloudy out. 18 hrs is your time frame to loose energy, 3 times the period of gain. A dual pane lowEargon window is no better than R 3.5. Minimum chicago code is R 35 ceilings R 60 being optimal. Heat rises and is proportionatly lost at a greater rate through the ceiling than walls. I still say if your numbers reflected real world weather you would see. Cloudy days are not in your numbers. If what you said was true it would be a true selling point manufacturers would take advantage of. But R 3.5 looses heat when there is no sun, and more than it gains over 18 hrs darkness . Now you show me an R 35 skylight, that will save energy, but we have no such glass yet. |
#28
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Heat loss through skylight
m Ransley errs again:
Today and this time of year 6 hr of radiant energy from the sun is all you get, if it isnt cloudy out. 18 hrs is your time frame to loose energy, 3 times the period of gain. Irrelevant. Simple physics and real weather data say a skylight with N glazing layers will gain 460x0.9^N Btu/ft^2 and lose 24h(65-26.7)/N on an average December day in Chicago. With more physics or calculus, you might figure dGain/dN = 0 makes N = e^(0.505N+1.47). N = 5 on the right makes N = 5.6 on the left, then 5.77, 5.82, and 5.84, so N = 6 maximizes the net gain, vs a ***LOSS*** for mere insulation. I still say if your numbers reflected real world weather you would see. Those numbers are NREL's 30-year measured weather data for Chicago. Why not give up your excellent imitation of a nitwit? :-) Nick |
#29
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Heat loss through skylight
"m Ransley Dec 27, 5:43 pm
Heat rises and is proportionatly lost at a greater rate through the ceiling than walls." So let's say the air temp near the ceiling is 75 deg and it's 70 in the middle of the room where the windows are. If it's 20 degrees outside, the temp differential at the skylight is 75-20=55 deg and at the side windows it's 70-20=50 deg. So assuming the construction and size of the windows is the same, the skylight will be losing about 10% more heat than the side window. Hardly anything to get your shorts in a knot over or worrying about doing anything special as opposed to any other window. |
#30
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Heat loss through skylight
Is it 10% more, optimal wall insulation is well below ceiling ratings,
from what I have read at different sites even SIP construction by near 50%. Alot is construction techniques but still retings are much lower in walls.I know it doesnt mean 50% goes up and out, but heat rises, and it could. Ive never read or seen skylights in optimaly insulated or solar designs. If it could automaticly close with a foam insulating plug when shaded it could be a net gain. |
#31
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Heat loss through skylight
"m Ransley Dec 27, 8:58 p
Is it 10% more, optimal wall insulation is well below ceiling ratings, from what I have read at different sites even SIP construction by near 50%. Alot is construction techniques but still retings are much lower in walls." Here's a good link that has some real data: http://homeenergy.org/archive/hem.di...93/931109.html It looks like a skylight has roughly 2X the heat loss of a similar vertical window, so you are right. They also explain why. It seems the main effect is that with a skylight being installed close to flat, the gas between panes circulates bottom to top, carrying heat from the inner pane to the outer. With a vertical window, the gas between panes doesn't move directly from pane to pane, so less energy is transferred. Kind of strange, as I would think that would be a second order kind of effect, but apparently it makes a big difference. I'm sure there is some heat gain from the sun during winter that helps offset some of this. It might even offset all of the difference in some climates. Of course in the summer you have the opposite effect, where now the heat is working against you. Still, if the differential is 2X, it's still not all that bad. |
#32
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Heat loss through skylight
m Ransley wrote:
If it could automaticly close with a foam insulating plug when shaded it could be a net gain. That's better, but any skylight is a net gain if more solar energy enters during a day than heat energy leaves during a day, which can happen with several layers of glazing. For instance, 3 layers of R1 glazing with 90% solar transmission would gain 0.9x0.9x0.9x460 = 335 Btu/ft^2 and lose 24h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R3 = 306, for a net gain of 29 Btu/ft^2 on an average December day in Chicago. By contrast, insulation just loses heat. An R100 ceiling would just lose 24h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R100 = 9 Btu/ft^2. Would you rather gain 29 or lose 9 Btu of heat per day in December? Nick |
#33
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Heat loss through skylight
wrote: m Ransley wrote: If it could automaticly close with a foam insulating plug when shaded it could be a net gain. That's better, but any skylight is a net gain if more solar energy enters during a day than heat energy leaves during a day, which can happen with several layers of glazing. For instance, 3 layers of R1 glazing with 90% solar transmission would gain 0.9x0.9x0.9x460 = 335 Btu/ft^2 and lose 24h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R3 = 306, for a net gain of 29 Btu/ft^2 on an average December day in Chicago. By contrast, insulation just loses heat. An R100 ceiling would just lose 24h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R100 = 9 Btu/ft^2. Would you rather gain 29 or lose 9 Btu of heat per day in December? Nick Might I point out that they call it a "greenhouse effect", after the greenhouses, where glass panes contribute to the retention of solar heat making the interior warmer than the exterior. Provided of course they face south. Which in summer will make them heat up the interior more than you want. |
#34
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Heat loss through skylight
z wrote:
wrote: m Ransley wrote: If it could automaticly close with a foam insulating plug when shaded it could be a net gain. That's better, but any skylight is a net gain if more solar energy enters during a day than heat energy leaves during a day, which can happen with several layers of glazing. For instance, 3 layers of R1 glazing with 90% solar transmission would gain 0.9x0.9x0.9x460 = 335 Btu/ft^2 and lose 24h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R3 = 306, for a net gain of 29 Btu/ft^2 on an average December day in Chicago. By contrast, insulation just loses heat. An R100 ceiling would just lose 24h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R100 = 9 Btu/ft^2. Would you rather gain 29 or lose 9 Btu of heat per day in December? Daylight is also nice... Might I point out that they call it a "greenhouse effect", after the greenhouses, where glass panes contribute to the retention of solar heat making the interior warmer than the exterior. Sure. Glass is a high pass filter, passing high frequency solar energy with wavelengths shorter than 3 microns and blocking low frequency heat energy, eg 10 micron heat from an 80 F black body. Provided of course they face south. That's better, with 740 vs 460 Btu/day of sun on an average December day in Chicago. The calc above was for a horizontal surface. A south window can provide more light than a skylight, esp if it's near a reflective ceiling with a lightshelf below the window. Which in summer will make them heat up the interior more than you want. South walls get less sun than horizontal surfaces in summertime, and shading them from higher summer sun is easy with overhangs. Nick |
#35
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Heat loss through skylight
I also have 10-15 year old velux skylights, motorized venting type.
They are absolutely freezing and one also is begining to leak. I can tell you they are NOT good or even fair insulators at that age. Perhaps the inert gas escapes in the first 10 years. One inexpensive option is to go to Kmart, buy very heavy drape fabric, and attach it (you can use tape on the upper end) to the inner screen. This will provide at least some buffer between the room and the cold skylight. Another more attractive option is to buy cellular shades, cheaper over the web, and install them against the glass, or preferably, just below the glass. They offer / promise 6 R-value or so. Another option I have not explored is whether the exterior glass hood on those skylights can be replaced without changing out the portion installed on the roof. By doing this you might be able to renew the insulation value of the glass, which I am sure is lost by now. But, one thing is clear- Velux is not that great of a skylight. My wood is rotting from all the condensation, and the thermal value is clearly lost, and I have a leak. With a similar leak on my Andersen skylight, the rep gladly replaced the light under warranty, despite the fact that it was 15 years old, and I was not the original buyer. Wow- talk about standing behind a product. The issue was the seal of the glass- "we had trouble with the seal on that skylight" he said. Wonder if I have the same problemwith my Velux. wrote: z wrote: wrote: m Ransley wrote: If it could automaticly close with a foam insulating plug when shaded it could be a net gain. That's better, but any skylight is a net gain if more solar energy enters during a day than heat energy leaves during a day, which can happen with several layers of glazing. For instance, 3 layers of R1 glazing with 90% solar transmission would gain 0.9x0.9x0.9x460 = 335 Btu/ft^2 and lose 24h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R3 = 306, for a net gain of 29 Btu/ft^2 on an average December day in Chicago. By contrast, insulation just loses heat. An R100 ceiling would just lose 24h(65-26.7)1ft^2/R100 = 9 Btu/ft^2. Would you rather gain 29 or lose 9 Btu of heat per day in December? Daylight is also nice... Might I point out that they call it a "greenhouse effect", after the greenhouses, where glass panes contribute to the retention of solar heat making the interior warmer than the exterior. Sure. Glass is a high pass filter, passing high frequency solar energy with wavelengths shorter than 3 microns and blocking low frequency heat energy, eg 10 micron heat from an 80 F black body. Provided of course they face south. That's better, with 740 vs 460 Btu/day of sun on an average December day in Chicago. The calc above was for a horizontal surface. A south window can provide more light than a skylight, esp if it's near a reflective ceiling with a lightshelf below the window. Which in summer will make them heat up the interior more than you want. South walls get less sun than horizontal surfaces in summertime, and shading them from higher summer sun is easy with overhangs. Nick |
#36
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Heat loss through skylight
Nick no skylight I see offered has high SHG, this rating, a 50% lower R
value, cloudy days and heat loss make your statements of net gain untrue. Now figure in extra heat load through summer, and you have a major net energy looser. But of course you do have independant results you can post to verify your energy saving claims. Please post them. |
#37
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Heat loss through skylight
"NeedleNose
Dec 28, 8:50 am But, one thing is clear- Velux is not that great of a skylight. My wood is rotting from all the condensation, and the thermal value is clearly lost, and I have a leak. With a similar leak on my Andersen skylight, the rep gladly replaced the light under warranty, despite the fact that it was 15 years old, and I was not the original buyer. " Did you contact Velux? What did they say? As for the rotting wood, it would seem to me that would be your fault. It takes a long time for condensation and/or a leak to rot wood. If the window lost it's seal you should have taken care of it a long time ago. |
#38
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Heat loss through skylight
m Ransley wrote:
Nick no skylight I see offered has high SHG, this rating, a 50% lower R value, cloudy days and heat loss make your statements of net gain untrue. I disagree. Where are your numbers? Nick |
#39
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Heat loss through skylight
Nick wake up and read other links mentioned, and post some facts, not
your usual unsubstantiated ramblings. You have proven nothing, you can`t back up your claims, so you don`t. |
#40
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Heat loss through skylight
NeedleNose wrote:
I also have 10-15 year old velux skylights, motorized venting type. They are absolutely freezing and one also is begining to leak. I can tell you they are NOT good or even fair insulators at that age. Perhaps the gaskets are leaky. One inexpensive option is to go to Kmart, buy very heavy drape fabric, and attach it (you can use tape on the upper end) to the inner screen. This will provide at least some buffer between the room and the cold skylight. Adding a few layers of plastic film underneath should work better. Another more attractive option is to buy cellular shades, cheaper over the web, and install them against the glass, or preferably, just below the glass. They offer / promise 6 R-value or so. IIRC, they only promise R5, including the window's R-Value :-) Nick |
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