solar

Saving on AC Costs in the Summer

As our world heats up, cooling costs increase. Installing VELUX® solar venting skylights is a great way to help decrease the costs of cooling your home.

Our innovative VELUX® skylights let in all the sunlight and fresh air you want, without letting in the rain, summer heat and harmful UV rays you don’t.

As heavier, cooler air flows in through the windows, it pushes lighter, warmer air out through the skylights above. When placed all throughout the home, this can significantly cool a house, even during the hot summer months without running so much A/C.

Solar-powered skylights can be programmed to open and close. Helping you control air quality and heat. Opening regular windows and skylights create what’s known as the “chimney effect”, pushing lighter, warmer out through the skylights as cooler air flows through the windows.

Plus, since the skylights are solar-powered there are no energy costs! Our venting skylights qualify the entire purchase–parts and labor—for a 26% tax credit!

Best of 2018 Installations

2018 has been a phenomenal year! We wanted to take a moment to share some of our favorite installations from this year, with hopes that next year will be even better! Feel free to share your own photos on our Facebook page, and tell us what your favorite part of 2018 was!

January 2018, Fort Collins

6 skylights were installed on this roof, and were showing signs of breakdown due to age…. continue reading »

5 Ways to Customize Your Sun Tunnels

Upgrade to a custom diffuser –  The diffuser and trim ring are all you see on the interior of the home, so if you do not like the standard frosted option, consider this: VELUX offers 5 different diffuser upgrades, including wavy lines, bubbles, and prisms, to help satisfy the style in every home! The best part is, you can swap these diffusers out at any time to change up the room a bit!

Warm up the light – While natural daylight offers many health benefits, the cool white light may change the atmosphere in your home, or bother your eyes. It may help to have an amber photo-gel laid over the diffuser, which can turn the cool white light into something closer to the light you see during the sunset. Because the gel is not glued down, it can be removed at any time, or switched to a different color at different times of the year!

Install a solar night light – Think of the rooms in your home that have a night light plugged in; The kitchen, bathrooms, hallways and stairwells. Whatever the reasons, there are many rooms in the home that you’d like to navigate without waking up the whole house. The solar night light sits in the tubing, collects solar energy during the day, and turns on once it is dark out to help light the way without using electricity. The best part? When the solar night light is installed in the Sun Tunnel, the whole project qualifies for a 30% federal tax credit!

Use the Sun Tunnel at night – While Sun Tunnels completely transform the room during the day, they can only bring in so much light from the moon. Adding a light kit to your Sun Tunnel means you can keep the light output going during evening hours. Once the light kit is hooked up to power, the light bulb turns on with the flick of a switch, just like a regular overhead light fixture! The super reflective tubing will even amplify the light coming out of the bulb, so one light will generally do the trick for the whole room.

Go with the flat glass – Whether you are going for a sleek look, or trying to stay inside HOA restrictions, the flat glass may be a great fit for you. Especially in a Southern exposure, the flat glass Sun Tunnel brings in the same amount of light, without the appearance of bubbles on your roof.

6 Ways a Skylight Can Improve Your Life

Installing a skylight can be an intimidating process, if you haven’t given it a lot of thought. Part of our job at Heinsight Solutions is to help you see the end result of the project before it has even begun! Below are several of our favorite ways that a skylight can improve your life!

  1. Cut down on energy costs

Skylights and Sun Tunnels will reduce the number of times you need to turn on the lights during the day. Even on the cloudiest days, natural light will stream in through your skylight and reduce the need for electricity. Installing a skylight that opens will also cut down on air conditioning costs, by improving circulation and ventilation in the house!

  1. Bring in fresh air

Speaking of ventilation, skylights that open ensure that even on the days when you simply cannot leave the house, you are breathing some fresh outdoor air. This doubles as a safety feature! If there is smoke inside of the home – just open the skylights up to help get the smoke out.

  1. File for tax credits

Starting in May of 2018, there will be a tax credit option for almost every VELUX skylight or Sun Tunnel option. So, while your solar powered skylight is paying itself off with energy savings, you will be reaping the benefits of a credit on your federal taxes for 30% of the cost of the job! Whether it’s a solar powered skylight, blinds, or a night light for your Sun Tunnel, we can make sure that we save you every penny with tax credits!

  1. Soak up the natural daylight

Ok, this one seems obvious. But did you know that natural daylight can help to eliminate depressive symptoms? We’re not doctors, but we think this is a pretty excellent unintended side effect of home improvement! This benefit extends to your adorable pets, who love to bask in the sunlight.

  1. Open up those small rooms

Some rooms just never seem big enough. Modern home builders are adding extra windows to make the space appear larger, and we recommend this on your fifth wall (in other words, your ceiling) too! A skylight will make the ceiling seem higher and brighter, while a Sun Tunnel carry light into the corners of the room that are not reached by lamp light.

  1.  Increase the value of your home

Even if you’re not in your forever-home, yet, adding skylights to your current house is a wise design idea, for the simple fact that it raises the curb-appeal and value of your home. A skylight installed by a competent contractor can bring in modern home buyers that are looking for move-in ready homes.

April 2018 Featured Project – Skylights

With hail season right around the corner, we wanted to share one of our money-saving tips for skylight replacement. A full inspection from a trained skylight specialist will reveal the scope of the work necessary to bring the skylight up to warranty standards.  Often times, a skylight can become damaged in a hail storm, even though the flashing, curb, and surrounding area are still in good condition. In these cases, we recommend a Pop-on replacement of the skylight only.

This homeowner experienced a hail storm which cracked the out layer of their bubble skylights. opted for the sleeker look of the VELUX flat laminated glass skylights, and added solar powered blackout blinds.

Prior to replacement, the older bubbles cast a more yellowish light, due to the glazing on the double dome. The outer layer of the dome became cracked during a hail storm. Though the crack did not cause a leak, the integrity of the skylight was compromised, and the pattern of light became distorted in the area where the skylight was cracked.

The new skylights are far more durable against hail, offering a 10 year hail warranty for the glass. The LoE 3 glass has a 98% UV block, which helps reduce the need to squint when looking up at them. This means that light shining through can be clear as day! The blinds help with daylight control and insulation, and when they come factory installed in the skylights, they qualify the whole project for a 30% federal tax credit!