Tubular Skylights:
Homeowners often consider skylights to be decorative accessories that help create special home lighting effects. Most people are unaware or neglect the fact that skylights can lead to energy loss throughout the year. The skylights also let in UV radiation that can damage carpets and furniture.
An alternative to conventional skylights is tubular skylights. They provide light without the drawback of energy loss and UV damage. Tubular skylights have easier installation than conventional skylights and resemble lighting fixtures from the inside of the house.
Light collectors:
Tubular skylights feature a roof-mounted light collector. This collector consists of an acrylic lens mounted on a metal frame. Most tubular skylights direct sunlight into a plastic or metal tube known as a reflective sun scoop. This scoop has a highly reflective coating on the inside walls and is part of the rooftop apparatus. The coating spreads light evenly throughout the room. The scoop has a parabolic shape that reflects sunlight back into the atmosphere irrespective of the position of the sun in the sky.
Electrical Lighting:
Some tubular skylights are integrated with electrical lights to provide light during day and night. Some models have baffles built into them allowing users to control the sunlight entering the room. The performance of tubular skylights has wide variations depending on the brand. Tests conducted show that one 13- inch tubular skylight has the light output of a 700-watt incandescent bulb in December. The light output of the same model was equivalent to one 1200-watt bulb in June. These systems are more efficient than regular lighting systems and most cost much less than a conventional skylight.
Benefits of using tubular skylights:
Tubular skylights are often placed between rafters and other structural elements. They are lightweight and do not require any modification to the structural elements. Tubular skylights with their simple designs are long lasting and cost can be less than that of a conventional skylight to install. This is because additional framing is not required for installation in new homes. In addition, fewer framing alterations are needed in existing homes.
Unlike traditional skylights, tubular skylights transmit indirect, diffused sunlight reducing damage to furnishing caused by UV rays. The diffused lighting that these skylights provide eliminates any harsh glare within the room. With the rooftop solar collector having a small surface area and due to the airspace between the collector and the diffuser, building heat loss in the winter and heat gain in summer is minimized.
