Solar tubes are little tubes that extend from your roof to the ceiling to give natural sunshine. They are also known as daylight pipes, light tubes, tubular skylights, and sun tunnels.
Solar tube lights are the answer to lowering your electricity costs. Imagine a day in the future when the sun’s light is flooding into the room, and you don’t need to open or reach for the light switch.
The future that solar tube lighting envisions is as follows. And before you get started, you now know the disadvantages and benefits of solar tube lighting. They are a wise investment if they work with your environment and house.
How do solar tube lights work?
Sheet-metal tubes with a polished interior are used for solar tube illumination. These tubes are also referred to as sun tubes, sun tunnels, tubular skylights, and light tubes.
The inside end of solar tube lighting typically has a porthole-style diffuser to transmit the light into your space, while the outer end is typically sealed off with a weather-proof plastic dome. They may illuminate a space without using electricity thanks to the efficient light tunneling created by the polished interior’s back-and-forth reflection of sunlight.
A typical window skylight can take up to 4.5 feet of roof area, whereas a solar tube lighting diameter of 10 to 14 inches requires significantly less room.
The Mechanism of Solar Tube Lights
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Solar tube lighting is made up of two tubes: a positive or collector tube and a negative or emitter tube coupled to the housing.
The emitter tube is where the light created in the housing is transformed into light.
The solar tube emits light captured in the housing and used as a standard light source.
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How Do Solar Tube Lights Operate?
Two tubes, a positive or collector tube and a negative or emitter tube connected to housing, make up solar tube lighting.
The emitter tube is where the light created in the housing is transformed into light.
The solar tube emits light, which is captured in the housing and used as a standard light source.
Features of Solar Tubes
There are three primary parts to a solar tube. Your roof is covered with a clear acrylic dome that is attached to a sheet metal pipe. This “tube” passes through your attic and touches your ceiling as it falls.
The dome collects the sun’s energy and directs it down the tube. The light is then scattered by a lens in your ceiling, lighting the space below.
Skylight vs. Solar Tube
You must be aware of the distinctions between solar tubes and skylights in order to decide whether to employ one or the other for illumination in your home.
When comparing energy efficiency, the solar tube outperforms the skylight. The solar tube collects ambient light and distributes it throughout various spaces in your residence.
Despite producing roughly three times as much light as ordinary windows, skylights eventually lose energy due to heat absorption in hotter areas.
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What Advantages Do Solar Tube Lights Offer?
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There are several advantages in comparing solar tubes for homes to electric Lighting and skylights in windows. Let’s quickly move past them:
- Â Lowers the cost of electricity
You don’t require electrical light throughout the day, which is the most significant advantage of solar tube illumination.
Because of how well it directs sunlight into your space, you could use it in place of an electric lamp to get the same brightness without paying for electricity.
- Natural Lighting is available
Sunlight enters your home through solar tube lighting. You can profit from the sun’s many advantages.
These advantages include greater melatonin levels in your body, which can aid in better nighttime sleep, and enhanced vitamin D production in your skin.
- Â Needs a Lesser Roof Space
Solar tube illumination requires a lot less room than a skylight in the form of a window. Sunlight can enter your home much more effectively because of its shiny tubular inside.
- Â Fast and Usable Installation
A skilled technician may complete a solar tube installation in as little as two hours. This rapid installation time minimizes the potential for a drawn-out installation process and avoids the requirement for a significant roof reconstruction.
- Â Low Cost of Installation
Solar tube lighting’s speedy installation method enables you to reduce the amount of labor you must pay your employees. Additionally, there is seldom any need to buy extra supplies; at most, roof sealers and ceiling sealants are the only ones needed to stop leaks from solar tube illumination after installation.
- Â Solar Tube Can Be Installed Easily, Quickly, And Practically
The procedure of installing a solar tube in your home is quick, easy, and straightforward. The solar tubes are discrete and would go in nicely with the style of your house.
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What Consequences Come with Solar Tube Lighting?
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Solar tube illumination has disadvantages in addition to its advantages. Let’s discuss a few of them.
- Â Dependent solely on the weather
Solar tube lighting has a number of obvious disadvantages, including its reliance on the sun and, consequently the weather. Yes, your solar tube lighting will operate at its best efficiency in good weather. However, there isn’t much you can do when it’s overcast and rainy.
- Â Poor lighting management
Another drawback is the lack of any type of control over solar tube lighting. The only way to fix this lack of control is to install a dimming kit, which will cost you extra to install.
- Straight up roof access is required.
The fact that solar tube lighting can only be put in a room with direct access to the roof is the following on the list of its drawbacks.
- Â Limited Skyview
Unlike a standard window skylight, your solar tube lighting does not allow you to see the night sky. The lack of a sky view is one of the drawbacks of solar tube illumination that tempts homeowners to adopt a window skylight in its stead.
- Â Roof Leak Risks
Solar tube lighting installation risks causing a leak because it necessitates a direct alteration to your roof. One of the cons preventing homeowners from installing solar tube lighting is the potential for roof leaks.
- Not Appropriate for Every Home
The type of roof on your home may make installing solar tubes impractical. Therefore, installing the solar tube may be difficult if your roof has a steep pitch or is flat.
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Do Solar Tubes Pay Off?
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Heating, cooling, and Lighting are thought to account for 85% of all household power bills.
More than 50% of residential electricity expenditures are made up of just these three elements.
However, they are surprisingly simple additions to lower in-home energy expenditures. This can be accomplished by using solar tube lighting, which successfully uses solar energy to power your house.
You should anticipate a 15% monthly reduction in electricity costs in a typical area.
You can further reduce your energy costs by 15% by switching to solar tube lights for your home’s Lighting.
Additionally, this 15% will reflect cost savings from lower electricity costs. You’ll save money on other expenses in addition to saving energy.
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In a Nutshell
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Demand for solar tubes is rising since they enable homeowners to reduce their electricity costs. Over 100 million solar tube lights were produced in the previous year, and 85% of those were sold, according to the data.
It is conceivable that the production of solar tube lights will increase in the future, much like solar farms.
It’s good to know that solar tubes can reduce home energy costs by 15%. I’ve been thinking about getting skylights for my home, but they seem a bit impractical. I think that solar tubes might be the smarter option for now, so I’ll look into them!
The most significant benefit of solar tube lighting, which you mentioned, is that it eliminates the need for electrical light during the day. You could use it in place of an electric lamp to get the same brightness without paying for electricity because of how well it directs sunlight into your space. To see the sun in my living room, I’ve always desired a skylight. Knowing about its advantages is helpful, and I’ll get one installed one as soon as possible. Thanks!