InstaBidsFor homeowners
Types of skylight: which one fits your room?
Choose Tubular skylight (tubular daylighting device) for bringing daylight to areas far from the building envelope that conventional skylights or windows cannot reach (LBNL, 2023); Ventilating (vented) skylight for opening to let air pass (DOE FEMP).
The right choice depends on how far the room is from the roof and outside walls, whether the skylight needs to open for air, and glare from direct sun.
| Type | Best for | Main advantages | Main drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed skylight | no official source names one | no official source names one | LBNL (2023): glare, which it names among "the main drawbacks of daylight (at least as delivered through conventional ways such as windows and skylights)" |
| Ventilating (vented) skylight | opening to let air pass (DOE FEMP) | no official source names one | LBNL (2023): glare, which it names among "the main drawbacks of daylight (at least as delivered through conventional ways such as windows and skylights)" |
| Tubular skylight (tubular daylighting device) | bringing daylight to areas far from the building envelope that conventional skylights or windows cannot reach (LBNL, 2023) | LBNL (2023): needs "a much smaller roof opening than conventional skylights"; LBNL lab test (2023): "no discomfort glare for any of the conditions tested" | no official source names one |
InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.
Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.
- Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
- Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
- Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
- You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
For your AI assistant
MCP connector · REST API · plain HTMLHand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.
- MCP connector URL
https://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp - Agent API (OpenAPI)
https://instabids.ai/openapi.json - Start-request link
https://instabids.ai/intake?from=options-skylight&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=options&page_type=options#job=skylight%20installation - Prompt for any AI, with your job
- ChatGPTOpens with the prompt
- ClaudeOpens with the prompt
- GrokOpens with the prompt
- GeminiCopies the prompt, then opens
Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.
| Priority | Choose |
|---|---|
| daylight in a room far from the roof and outside walls | Tubular skylight (tubular daylighting device) |
Get written bids
Contractors who take part bid on one written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices.
The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Contractors in your trade see the scope card and your 5-digit ZIP code.
Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.
Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing.
Sources for the facts on this page
- U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program, Purchasing Energy-Efficient Residential Windows, Doors, and Skylights, government, read 17 October 2026.
- LBNL (Berkeley Lab, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory), Lighting and visual comfort performance of commercially available tubular daylight devices (journal article, Solar Energy 251, February 2023), national laboratory, read 22 October 2026.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ENERGY STAR), Program Requirements for Residential Windows, Doors, and Skylights, Version 7.0 (effective 2023-10-23), government, read 17 October 2026.