Read our guide of useful insights about tubular skylights, how to select the right one for your space, and the difference between crystal and plastic domes.
What is a tubular skylight?
Tubular skylights provide natural daylight to your commercial or residential space by funneling sunlight in from your roof down a highly reflective tube, giving you bright daylight indoors!
Why should you install a tubular skylight?
It's a proven scientific fact that natural daylight is good for your health and well being. But natural daylight is also good for your bank account!
By choosing to install a tubular skylight in your home or commercial space, you will automatically see the benefits on your energy bill! The ease at which natural light will fill your home means you won't need to keep flicking on those lights during the day - saving you money on your energy bills!
What options are available for a tubular skylight?
Tubular skylights can either be flexible or rigid. Both options have their benefits and our guide will help you choose which is better for your home.
Rigid tubular skylights are the more durable option and provide better light transmission than flexible tubular skylights. Tubular skylights with a rigid design allow for sunlight to travel down from roof to ceiling in a direct path, with fewer chances for light loss at directional changes, giving you more natural light in the required room.
Flexible tubular skylights are the low-cost solution for adding natural light to your space. Flexible tubular skylights are used for shorter distances or for applications where you need to navigate around obstructions in the roof space. While flexible tubular skylights are easier to install in applications with obstructions, rigid tunnels also have solutions here such as Lightway’s adjustable elbow accessory. Due to the wrinkled interior surface of the flexible tube, light will be scattered, causing more loss inducing bounces than in rigid tubular skylights resulting in less light reaching the room.
Rounded dome or flat glass cover for your tubular skylight?
This can be a style question but when it comes to tubular skylight performance there really is only one option, a dome. Light reflects off a flat surface but refracts when it comes in contact with a dome. This means some of your light is lost when it hits a flat surface and domes are able to better transmit your light by refracting the sunlight inwards.
Where should I position my tubular skylight?
We have established the type of tubular skylight that works best for your home and the external roof aesthetics for the fixture, now we need to determine where to put your new tubular skylight.
As with gardens, south-facing tubular skylights are the most effective as they will get the most amount of available daylight to direct into your space. You should also aim to install your tubular skylight as close to the apex as possible as, once again, your tubular skylight will be exposed to the maximum amount of daylight. If you are unable to position your tubular skylight on a south-facing portion of your roof, don’t worry; ambient light from north-, east-, and west-facing roofs will still be collected and make a big difference in your space!
How many tubular skylights do I need for my room?
The more you install, the better the results.
As with vertical windows and skylights, the more openings you give daylight to get into your room, the better the results. We advise you to purchase the biggest you can and aim for one or two tubular skylights to be installed in the center of your room or a handful of smaller tubular skylights evenly spaced around the room. The brilliant thing about a tubular skylight is that they are suitable for any room and won't look out of place!
This information below will detail which tubular skylight size is best suited to a type of room.
6.0 in tube diameter
Coverage area: 0 - 100 sq ft
Room types: small rooms, pantries, hallways, bathrooms
8 - 10 in tube diameters
Coverage area: 100 - 200 sq ft
Room types: large hallways, stairwells, bedrooms and kitchens
12 - 14 in tube diameters
Coverage area: 200 - 400 sq ft
Room types: large bedrooms and kitchens, family rooms, home gyms workshops and offices
16 - 21 in tube diameters
Coverage area: 400 - 600 sq ft
Room types: large multipurpose rooms, commercials spaces, work shops and gyms
Now that you’ve read our guide you’re ready to buy the perfect tubular skylight for your space!
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