TYpes of skylight covers: blinds, Awnings and shades
You can prevent unwanted day-light, glare or solar heat gains by installing your skylights in the shade of leaf-shedding trees, or by adding awnings, blinds or other skylight covers on the outside or inside of the skylight.
Skylight covers include heat-blocking covers but also several types of shades and blinds to control sunlight and glare: roller shades, venetian blinds, light blocking shades - which may come with very different styles, colors and sizes or involve different materials, affecting the results or the amount of transmitted light.
Skylight Covers Effectiveness
Overheating, heat loss and unwanted light gains may be a result of an oversized skylight. Or of a wrong skylight type in the wrong place… Or of a skylight with an inadequate glazing… There are many possible reasons for problems with skylights, and you should pay attention to it. Skylight covers – blinds, awnings, shades… - shouldn't be looked as the solution for wrong options concerning skylights or roof windows. They are useful as accessories to soften or to block sunlight, or to reduce heat gains and heat loss (during the night due to the called clear-night-sky re-radiation phenomena), but they aren't miraculous solutions.
Heat-blocking covers (Exterior awnings)
Typical heat-blocking covers - located on the exterior of the skylight – are retractable units. They can provide maximum protection against heat gains without obstructing views to the outside (though some models do block light and views). They are electrically controlled, or sun-powered, or manually operated...
Light blocking covers
Light blocking skylight covers (1st image, left) are typically made from aluminum-coated fabric. They can block the brightest sunlight, and are perfect for rooms requiring total light block (bedrooms…). New units can be solar powered, and manufacturers are offering no-wired unites, operated by remote control.
Venetian skylight blinds
Venetian skylight blinds (3rd image, left) are a tested and cheap technology. The best units use a control mechanism to position the blinds at the wanted point on the skylight. These covers allow control over glare and the amount and direction of the light, and can be a nice aesthetic element of the room.
Roller shades and blinds
Roller shades and blinds (2nd image, left) are a cheap sun-screening option for roof windows. They allow light control, and can be operated manually with a pull cord, or remotely. They can also be an effective heat protection device for roof windows.
Images: Velux
Skylight cover installation
Installation of the different skylight covers can be very simple or... rather difficult. Velux covers are extremely simple to install on their skylights. They use brackets to make a fast and easy installation.
You just have to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. To see some videos involving the installation of Velux blinds take a look at: Installation videos: blinds-shades and awnings.
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