Home Decorating Ideas - Let There Be (Natural) Light

Everyone talks about the outdoor environment, but homeowners who are aware of the green building trend sweeping the country are taking indoor air quality just as seriously.

Green Homebuilding Defined

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), "Green home building" is defined as a movement that "applies innovative and environmentally sensitive construction techniques and products to reduce energy and water consumption and improve residential comfort and safety."

Safety, in this case, includes removing harmful airborne elements from indoors, ranging from simple stale air from everyday living to pollutants given off by building materials, to radon gas that seeps into buildings from soil through small openings in foundations. This can be critical in winter, when many homes are sealed with windows tightly closed to retain heat.

One of the NAHB's seven categories of Green building is indoor air quality and Residential Systems magazine agrees, identifying that and energy efficiency as "hallmarks of the green building movement."

Light From Above

According to Joe Patrick, senior product manager for Velux America, indoor air quality can be enhanced with venting skylights. "They admit natural light from above to reduce energy costs and make living spaces more attractive and enjoyable while quietly exhausting stale air and improving ventilation without the use of fans."

Adequate ventilation also contributes to effective moisture management in the home, helping to control mold. And while gaining more natural light and better air quality, homeowners utilizing venting skylights realize other benefits.

Patrick points out that in bathrooms especially, venting skylights reduce condensation build-up while providing a beautiful view of the sky above, without affording anyone the opportunity to see in. "Plus, you get the use of wall space, where a window isn't necessary. The same holds true in kitchens where skylights vent hot air and cooking odors," he says.

Electric venting skylights are available with remote control, blinds, shades, awnings, insect screening and automatic rain sensors, and with electrochromic glass that can be tinted electronically with a remote to control light and heat gain while still providing a view to the sky.

Tax credits are available for skylight installations.

Visit energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm for details. For skylight selection literature, call 1-800-283-2831 or visit veluxusa.com. For government information on window and skylight energy efficiency, visit energystar.gov, and for independent agency information, visit nfrc.org or www.efficient windows.org. Things are looking up for indoor air quality when there are skylights in the home.