How to choose the right skylight shades for your home

Skylights are a fantastic way to bring natural light into a room. But they’re not that energy efficient, and make it difficult to darken a room during daytime. That’s where skylight shades come in.

Types of Skylight Shades

Skylight shades are typically custom-made to fit a skylight’s precise dimensions. They come in all kinds of materials with varying degrees of effectiveness.

Densely-made room darkening or “blackout” shades will completely block sunlight from entering a room, even during the brightest times of the day. Light filtering shades will let in more light but also insulate skylights, reducing the energy drain they can have on a room.

Skylight shades open and close manually or via a motor. Much like traditional shades, manual skylight shades can be opened and closed with cords and poles. Motorized skylight shades work by remote control or smartphone app. This feature is especially convenient if you open and close your shades multiple times a day.

How to Choose Skylight Shades

Choosing the right skylight shades for your home mostly depends on how you use the room(s) where you’re installing them.

If it’s a place for daytime naps or a home movie theater, choose a blackout shade to make it as dark as possible. If you’re less concerned with blocking light and want to increase the energy efficiency, go with light filtering shades. They’ll still block most light while providing key insulation in an area likely to be a significant thermal leak

Best Skylight Shades

Here are three of the best skylight shades on the market, including manual and motorized options.

Levelor Light Filtering Skylight Cellular Shades

• The honeycomb design insulates the window and the room.
• Operated using standard manual cord controls.
• The fabric’s light filtering capability blocks harmful UV rays.

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Levelor Room Darkening Skylight Cellular Shades

• “Blackout” shades block all light; perfect for bedrooms or home theaters.
• Comes in multiple colors.
• Can be made with double cell honeycomb fabric that dampens sound and reduces noise.

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Blindsgalore Motorized Skylight Shade

• The shades can be opened and closed with the touch of a button.
• The battery can be charged via solar power.
• Compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

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