The Perfect Skylight (With automatic reflector/shade winter night insulator/ and summer vent opener)

 
In the early 1980s, just as energy prices along with interest in passive solar slumped, we manufactured several skylights with large foam core reflective panels that acted as reflectors during winter days, insulators on winter nights, shades and vent openers in summer.  The photos below show an experimental skylight on a residence in Albuquerque designed by Doug Edgar, Pogo Construction in 1985 (Fig. 15 – 18). The panel moved with a shifting weight of refrigerant.  When the sun struck the panel in the morning, the refrigerant canister grew warm and drew the mass of refrigerant to a shaded tank on the north side of a hinged pivot.  When the sun went down, the sky became cold and the still warm sheltered canister pumped the refrigerant to the exposed tank where the weight closed the panel for the night.  While it is generally difficult to make outside panels that insulate in this orientation, these were easy to make work well. Dampers stopped motion in the wind.

         Fig. 15                                                                                          Fig. 16

Winter day open to reflect sun inside                                                 Halfway closed

During summer when night ventilation is welcome to cool buildings, we used the same day/night motion, limited by tied ropes, to operate a large vent on the north side of the skylight. The vent opens every evening and closes every day, (see illustration) while the reflector acts as a shade.

             Fig. 17                                                                                   Fig. 18

Summer Night Position: reflector is                           Summer Day: reflector is restrained

Down, back boom pulls vent open for                        from opening all the way, shades sky-

night ventilation.                                                      light, back boom lowers to close vent

                                                                                and prevent daytime ventilation.