How to cover skylights in the summer

Skylights are a luxurious and stylish way to bring natural light into your home.

Not only do they light up your home, skylights are also an excellent way to save money on your energy and heating bills by keeping the space warm and well lit.

However, in summer skylights can make homes become uncomfortably warm. To help keep your home cool in the summer months, we’ve created this guide to the three most popular ways of covering your skylight during summer.

External covers

Often the cheapest way to cover up your skylights is to put a cover over the light itself.

The cover will block the amount of light and heat able to enter your home. The thickness and type of material you use to cover your skylight will alter how much light is able to get into it.

External covers are the cheap and easy option but are not great for controlling the light as and when the weather changes. This type of cover also requires access to your roof and can be difficult for some people to place and remove the covers during summer.

UV reflective films

UV reflective film is a thin, transparent film that is attached to the inside of your skylights.

The film reflects UV lights while providing you with a crystal-clear view of the sky. By reflecting the light, the film prevents too much heat and light entering your home, keeping it nice and cool. The film can also be used to minimise glare, allowing you to use screens or watch television without impacting your vision.

To be correctly installed, UV reflective films often need expert installation. The films are kept up all year round and can’t be removed or altered in winter if they block out too much heat.

Thermal blinds (For Roof Windows Only)

Thermal blinds are a great way of blocking light and heat entering your home. When closed, they can reduce the amount of heat entering a room by up to 76%.

Coming in either manual, electric powered or solar powered, thermal blinds are easily altered. This allows you to control the amount of light and heat entering your home exactly when you need it.

With their controllability, thermal blinds are the perfect solution for the inconsistent British weather.

Available in a range of styles, there’s bound to be a thermal blind that matches your home.

Conclusion

There are many ways that you can cover your skylights to keep your home cool during the summer.

However, when facing inconsistent British weather, external covers and UV reflective films don’t offer a lot of customisation. Alternatively, thermal blinds allow you to alter how much light and heat enters your home, exactly as and when you need it.

Need more information on how to keep your home cool during summer? Get in touch with our team today.