“There’s no doubt that many studies have shown that exposure to natural light helps many people as it affects the amount of serotonin that the body produces, which is in essence the happy hormone,” says Rob Gray, communications coordinator for the Canadian Mental Health Association - Calgary Region.

“On the other hand, if your living or work environment is dark, the body produces melontonin, which is essentially the hibernation hormone.”

Although Calgary residents enjoy an abundance of natural light - Calgary enjoys the most days of sunshine per year of any major Canadian city - the southern Alberta climate often necessitates the need for residents to spend a great deal of time within the confines of their homes, resulting in a seasonal decrease in exposure to natural light and its benefits. Accordingly, instances of the “winter blues” or the more serious Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) are not uncommon during the winter months.

Typically, individuals with SAD find their emotional state changes in the fall and throughout the winter months. Some believe it is a result of shorter days and longer nights that start around the end of September and last until early spring. As the nights grow longer, individuals with SAD become lethargic, feel dull and crave carbohydrates. They tend to oversleep, gain weight and generally feel fatigued throughout the day.

“There’s a definite connection between SAD and lack of exposure to natural light,” Gray explains. “Light therapy or more natural light exposure has been shown to help with SAD, as well as for the winter blues, which is a more common and much milder form of SAD.”

Natural light is also an important source of Vitamin D, which is especially important for seniors as it plays a vital role for calcium to be absorbed by the body and which helps strengthen teeth, bones and tissue to maintain a healthy skeleton throughout life. In healthy humans, 80 per cent of vitamin D is produced in the skin when it is exposed to natural light. A vitamin D deficiency could contribute to the brittle-bone disease osteoporosis.

Whether for health-related reasons or because of their design and esthetic appeal, many homeowners are choosing to incorporate skylights into their new homes. Essentially, skylights are windows mounted horizontally rather than vertically, usually through the ceiling or roof, illuminating dark rooms and corners with natural light. They can allow a wall of window to extend to the roof, providing views of the sky in addition to the landscape.

A long-time advocate of incorporating natural light into the homes he creates through the use of skylights and an abundance of large windows, designer Thomas Debicki says that with the technological advancements of skylights - and when properly positioned and installed - the devices can have a profound impact on the living space and quality of life a homeowner enjoys.

“Skylights essentially give you another type of space in the home,” says Debicki, owner of Debicki Speta Designs. “If you place them in an appropriate way, the natural daylight actually can enhance the interior of the home. As well, the issue of seasonal depression is not trivial and it’s been shown that a treatment people respond well to is related to light.”

If the decision to include skylights into the home design has been made, Debicki is adamant that bigger is better.

“What one needs to do to truly benefit from skylights, whenever possible, is to create a large skylight area - for instance, a block of six skylights,” he says. “There’s an extra cost, but not that much and the results are more than worth it.”

Because skylights are located on the roof of a building, they can result in large amounts of unwanted summer time solar heat gains and winter time heat losses. Fortunately, today’s skylights are much more than bubble-shaped domes - they include all the best window technology, such as double-glazed, insulated, or high-performance glass. They also have special coatings to reduce heat loss or diffuse light.

Skylights can be fixed or open partially, depending on the design. Other features offered are remote controls that open and close the windows electronically, sensors that shut the units automatically when it starts raining, and motorized shades and blinds to protect from summer heat.

“The key for managing interior thermal comfort in the summer is you have to let heat escape,” Debicki explains. “There are many options available, including openable skylights or some form of vent that is close to the skylight.”

Skylights are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. The most common shape for a skylight is rectangular, but they are also available in circular, oval, diamond, triangular and multi-sided configurations.
Non-rectangular units usually use plastic glazing, though higher quality units use glass. The glazing can be flat, arched, domed, pyramidal, and warped plane, which is where the glazing is flat on the low side and concave in section on the high side.

Skylight prices vary widely. Expect to pay more for special glazing materials, venting, shading devices, or other options. Installation costs depend on the complexity of the job. If you choose to have a professional install your skylight, be sure to obtain several estimates and a list of references. Contractor skill levels and fees can also vary tremendously. Be wary of any bid that seems too low.

Although most homebuilders will accommodate a buyer’s wish to include skylights within the home design and construction, Debicki believes it’s important that homeowners take a hands-on approach in determining the final outcome.

“Homeowners need to be specific — look through resource magazines, do research, find what you like and make sure that it’s intelligent in terms of the light coming into the home and for energy management,” he says.

“Bring it to your builder and tell them what it is you want,” he adds. “It puts more emphasis on the homeowner, but in the long run, it will pay off.”   NHS