Taking Advantage of Free Sunlight

The concept was originally developed by the ancient Egyptians, directing natural light utilizing light tubes with reflective material is the oldest and most widespread type of natural lighting of interior spaces.

Solar tubes also known as light tubes, sunscoops, or tubular skylights admit natural light into dark interior rooms of homes and buildings. People enjoy the natural lighting that skylights provide. However, skylights often do not distribute light evenly, are a significant source of energy loss, and can cause UV damage to carpets and furniture. Solar tubes, on the other hand, use the sun for lighting interiors without the drawbacks associated with conventional skylights. To prevent harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from fading carpets and furniture, UV inhibitors are molded into the rooftop dome on most models. Another bonus of choosing solar tubes is that they deliver far less heat, as do many standard skylights. Because of this lack of heat gain, tubular skylights save money on air conditioning bills during the hot months.

Taking advantage of as much free sunlight as possible, a solar tubular skylight gathers sunlight from a roof mounted light collecting dome consisting of an acrylic lens, bouncing it down a tube with a highly reflective interior coating, to an attractive lens cover that resembles conventional recessed lighting fixtures and diffuses the sunlight evenly throughout interior rooms. The tube can be bent and adjusted to rout around attic or roof obstructions with little loss of light transmission and can often be installed in under three hours. Unlike a skylight that requires a roof-to-ceiling shaft framed out of lumber and covered with drywall or wood paneling, nor the need for structural modifications so installation is simple and comparatively inexpensive.

The roof mounted dome is made from high quality acrylic resin that is specifically formulated for increased impact strength, chemical, weather resistance and high clarity.

Solar tubes can be mounted on almost any type of roofing material, including wood and asphalt shingles, concrete and ceramic tile, and metal. Thanks to the highly reflective coating inside the shaft, the tube can work efficiently from sunup to sundown.

Most major solar tubular skylight manufacturers offer 10 year warranties against material defects and post-installation cracking or discoloration. Solar tube installation contractors generally offer a 2-3 year installation warranty to cover weatherproofing and storm protection.

Average tubular skylight sizes range between 10 and 21 inches (254 and 533 mm), in diameter, which effectively light 100 – 600 square feet (30.48 – 182.88 meters), of interior spaces. The main factor in choosing a size is generally the spacing between roof rafters and/or ceiling joists.

Prices range from about $171.00 to $423.00. Installation of solar tubes usually costs between $500 and $800. Both depending on the size of the tube and the features installed.

Solar tubes options include:
Dimmers that allows the natural lighting level of a room to be turned up or down on demand.
Light kit for night time lighting.
Ventilation fan kits

Energy efficient solar tubes are an important part of building today’s green friendly homes and buildings. The effect that natural light has on you physically, emotionally and psychologically is well known plus, the benefits of free natural sunlit rooms will positively affect our environment for future generations. They are an environmentally friendly way to naturally brighten any room, a smart alternative to skylights and artifical lighting.

Tags: energy, environment, Going Green, green, sun

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 at 7:39 pm and is filed under Going Green, Green Living, Technology, go green. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.