Skylight Too Hot or Glaring?
Tint, Blinds, Glazing or Close It Up (2026)

Why a skylight makes a room so hot

A skylight faces the sky, so in Malaysia it takes the midday sun almost straight on, for more hours than any wall window. The sun's heat arrives as visible light as well as infrared, so a clear skylight lets a patch of heat fall onto the floor and furniture below. The glazing itself also warms up and radiates heat downwards.

Hot air rises, and a fixed skylight sits at the highest point of the ceiling, so the warmest air in the room collects in the skylight well with no way out. ClickBina's guide to why a house is so hot explains the roof as the biggest heat source in most homes; a skylight is a hole in that roof.

Heat, glare or both?

If the skylight also leaks, sort that out first; the skylight leak guide covers the usual leak paths. There is no point fitting a blind under a skylight that lets water in.

Option 1: shade it from inside

A blind under the skylight is the simplest fix for glare, and it helps with heat by stopping the sun before it reaches the floor. For a skylight, look for a blind designed to run on side guides so it does not sag, and consider a motorised one if the skylight is high. Pleated or honeycomb blinds trap a layer of air and insulate better than most other blinds; ClickBina's curtains and blinds guide prices them at RM250 – RM600 per window installed.

The catch is that an inside blind stops the light but the heat is already inside the glazing, so the space between the blind and the skylight can get very hot. It works best combined with ventilation.

Option 2: solar film on the glazing

Solar film cuts heat and glare while keeping some daylight. ClickBina's guide to TSER, VLT and IRR explains how to read the spec sheet: TSER is the number that tells you how much of the sun's total heat the film rejects, and the tinting benchmark it quotes is to look for a TSER of 50% or more for a meaningful effect on aircon load. Darker does not automatically mean cooler.

Two points are special to skylights. Films are made for particular glazing, so ask the installer whether the film suits your skylight's material, especially if it is polycarbonate rather than glass. And a skylight is overhead and hard to reach, so the price includes access and working at height.

Option 3: let the hot air out

If the problem is trapped hot air rather than direct sun, ventilation helps more than shading. A vented skylight opens to let the hottest air escape at the highest point. ClickBina's skylight cost guide notes that a manual crank opener adds RM1,000 – RM2,000 to a skylight, and a motorised one with a rain sensor closes itself when it rains.

Roof ventilation and insulation around the skylight well matter too. Our roof insulation guide explains how insulation under the roof reduces the heat that reaches the ceiling.

Option 4: upgrade the glazing

Replacing old clear glazing with solar-control or low-E glass is the permanent fix that keeps the daylight. The skylight cost guide describes a low-E or solar-control coating as adding RM500 – RM2,000 per unit and significantly reducing heat gain, and calls it a worthwhile upgrade in Malaysia. It also notes that polycarbonate yellows over time while glass stays clear, so an old polycarbonate skylight is often a candidate for replacement rather than more film.

Option 5: close it up

Closing a skylight solves the heat for good, but it also removes the daylight, and in an intermediate terrace that may make the middle of the house dark. The work means roofing over the opening to match the existing roof, waterproofing the junction and finishing the ceiling below.

A middle path is to replace a large skylight with a tubular skylight, a small dome on the roof with a reflective tube that brings daylight to a ceiling diffuser. It lets in light with far less heat. The skylight cost guide prices a tubular skylight at RM1,800 – RM4,000.

What each option costs

These are the ranges published in ClickBina's guides (indicative 2026, Klang Valley). Closing up a skylight is quoted per job, because it depends on the roof and ceiling.

Start with the cheapest fix that matches the cause. A blind that cures glare may be enough; a room that stays hot after shading usually needs ventilation or better glazing.

Condos, townhouses and approvals

A skylight is part of the roof. In a strata property, changes that affect the roof or the look of the building may need management approval, and closing or enlarging an opening may be treated differently from fitting a blind inside. Check with management before ordering glazing or roofing work.

How ClickBina can help

WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the size and material of the skylight, which room it is over, whether the problem is heat, glare or a leak, and how high it is. ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination. We reply within the hour, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges. A site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina skylight cost guide — glazing types, low-E coatings, venting and tubular skylights.
• ClickBina window tint TSER, VLT and IRR guide — reading film specifications.
• ClickBina tinted window film cost guide — film prices per sq ft.
• ClickBina curtains and blinds cost guide — blind prices.

How we estimated prices: every RM figure on this page is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina skylight, window film and curtains and blinds guides, where they are published as indicative 2026 ranges for the Klang Valley.