Raising star ratings with skylights

MEDIA RELEASE 21 May 2009

Raising star ratings with skylights
Skylights are a great way to help reduce your energy usage and raise the star rating of your home. As well as reducing the dependence on artificial lighting, they can reduce the energy used for heating or cooling.

The Council of Australian Governments recently announced that all residential homes and commercial buildings built after May 2011 will need a minimum six-star energy efficiency rating* to promote more energy efficient buildings and reduce carbon emissions.

Research shows that skylights can reduce the total energy needed to operate a building which impacts on carbon dioxide emissions in addition to providing the widely recognised benefits of natural daylight.

According to Geoff Smith, Professor of energy saving technology, materials and lighting at the University of Technology Sydney, skylights can save on average 80 to 120 kilowatts of energy per year. Collectively, if one in seven Australian homes installed skylights, it could save 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

Skydome managing director, Michael Bonello has been in the skylight industry for over 30 years and says it is important to choose the right kind of skylights for your home.

"Choosing the right type and size of skylight will help to keep home temperatures more moderate and will save energy as less electricity is used for heating or cooling. This is because natural light generates less heat than artificial lighting and, if used accordingly, skylights will let in the light without compromising a change in temperature," Bonello said.

"We use a material called Skyguard on all polymer glazed Skydome products, which eliminates 99 per cent of harmful UV rays," he added.

Skydome currently offers three types of skylights each with unique features and applications: Skydome, Skytube and Skywindow.

Skydome's pyramid-shaped angular selective skylight, which won a National Energy Award in 1996 and a Master Builders Award in 1997, is excellent in letting in low angle light experienced in the mornings and afternoons while decreasing the sunlight input from the hot midday sun to reduce the amount of heat build up. These types of skylights are particularly popular in the tropical regions of Australia where the midday sun is extreme.

Skydome products are custom-made to suit Australian conditions and the moulded and robust flashings offer excellent watertightness. They are ideal for use in rooms with little or no natural light to improve overall ambiance and light levels and can be used to create lighting effects.

Skydome, a member of the Skylight Industry Association, was established in 1976 by Michael Bonello and the company and its products are officially recognised as Australian owned and made.

For more information on Skydome and its products, visit www.skydome.com.au or call 13 14 24.

Editors Notes
* Star ratings are determined by the energy usage concerned with the thermal comfort of a building. Buildings with high star ratings are those without the need for artificial heating and cooling (see www.nathers.gov.au).

Released for Skydome by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations (www.drpr.com.au)
For further information please call Joanna Gitsham or Kim Larochelle on (02) 9413 4244.

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