Skylights in zone 2A
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| Posted in Energy Efficiency and Durability on
I live in Houston. My house is 30 years old. The 2nd floor gameroom has a cathedral ceiling with two skylights. Years ago, I draped a boxed solar screen over the exterior and also put a framed solar screen in the Sheetrock recess of the skylights interior. That tended to reduce the radiant heat, but the conductive heat transmitted through the skylights’ metal framing is still substantial. On a hot summer day I’m still shooting temps of over 100 degrees. Any ideas on how to cut this heat down besides the obvious solution of yanking the skylights altogether?
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Replies
Mark,
My guess is that the glazing in your 30-year-old skylight has a higher SHGC than glazing available today. Velux sells skylights with a whole-unit SHGC of 0.33, and other manufacturers may be able to provide a lower number.
So you can install new skylights, or you can fill the holes with insulation, drywall, and roofing.
I would say yank
Skylights are problematic
They are very difficult to shade during the summer
It is better to stop direct sun BEFORE it goes thru glass.(during cooling season)
the Light Wells and vaulted ceilings are a problem TOO because they concentrate warm moist air in a "chimney" that is not INTENTIONALLY ventilated
Hmm... I don't suppose there's any feasible way to install foam on the outside of the frame. Before yanking the skylights, what about first painting a "Cool Roof" coating on the frame and seeing if that makes much of an impact?