Roof ridge skylight – cost & benefit
Wutzke
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
Everyone in the south & southwest — particularly Arizona / desert So Cal — for lighting and appearance we were thinking of having a ridgeline skylight (like in a greenhouse) in a bedroom/bathroom addition. Addition (and hence ridgeline) runs north/south.
Does this sound like an intensely stupid idea, esp. in the summer months here (in Phoenix)? I imagine it would be glass only about a foot on either side of the ridge, but still at the height of summer that’s alot of exposure.
Beyond thermal issues, any particular pros or cons with ridge line skylights?
Replies
Don't know as much about residential skylights, but commercial ones are more expensive if they have ridges (vs. flat). Sometimes a lot more. Depending on your structure, it's a more problematic situation too . . . especially if you have trusses that you don't want exposed.
With a flat skylight and rafters you can box out around the opening to the width you want and put extra rafters on the sides. With a ridge skylight the rafters are either exposed (which means extra care and labor) or creating an alternate path for the roof load to travel. If you're only imagining 2'-0" wide skylights anyway you might be able to use flat ones set between your structure, regardless of rafters or trusses. If you don't like the look, maybe use a series of them or stagger them on the roof plane.
If you're worried about heat then I'd put them on the east side so you get morning light (when it's cooler) rather than afternoon light when it's warmer. But you will get light. We have them in our office . . . 2 x 2's on a flat roof. Only 3 of them, but the previous tenants had to put shaded acrylic under them because of the glare (and this is in one of the cloudiest parts of the country). If it's only light you're looking for there's also the Solatube option (check past threads for this).
That's it. I'm tapped out.