Tube skylights, or solar tubes as they are sometimes called, are a green solution for indoor lighting, or daylighting. When used in a one story building or the top floor of a multi-story building, it is an alternative to traditional skylights which has several advantages: even distribution of light, no cost, no glare, no UV ray damage or color fading, none of the flicker and headaches associated with incandescent and florescent lighting. In comparison to traditional skylights, it is easier to install, less expensive, and generally is not susceptible to heat and moisture leakage.
One determining factor whether to use the tubular or not, is the existence of a crawl space between the ceiling and roof. The solar tube requires one, and the traditional skylight requires that there not be one. The other factor to remember that if the room is to be used at night, you will still need artificial lighting for evening hours, although the tubular skylight operates equally well on cloudy days, since it captures ambient light as well as direct sunlight.
That said, the quality and health benefits of the skylight over artificial light are very significant, and a single tube skylight can deliver as much as a 700 watt bulb in the winter and a 1200 watt bulb in the summer. That's a considerable energy savings as well.
AVP's tubular skylight comes in 2 diameters, 10" and 14", and includes the flexible reflection tube (available in various lengths), all shipped flat to reduce shipping costs. The tough polycarbonate lens is far superior to the acrylic lens used in other models, and the one piece flange guarantees no moisture leakage problems. |
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