Are Security Shutters Safe in Power Failure?

Question: I’ve been wondering how people who buy those security shutters that operate on electricity would get out of their houses if they had to with a power failure? Aren’t they taking a chance of getting trapped?

Answer: I’m told that the electrically operated shutters just switch to manual control in such an emergency and you crank the shutters open.

Q: What’s the difference, if any, in a roof window and a skylight? I’ve heard both terms.

A: Velux-America, a manufacturer in Greenwood, S.C., makes much-to-do about the choice of a roof window or a skylight. Their recent brochure says roof windows are “designed for installation at eye level, sitting or standing. They can also be used in overhead applications. They . . . open and pivot inward so both glass surfaces can be cleaned from the inside.” Skylights are “specifically designed for out-of-reach applications where cleaning from the inside is not required.” (One supposes they mean often required.) Skylights admit overhead light with the option of opening for ventilation.”