Skylights are popular home additions and when carefully planned can increase the efficiency of your home. However, skylights can also be a serious source of energy loss in homes: on chilly nights, the cold glass can really suck the heat out of a room, and on hot days you may find yourself cooking like an ant under a magnifying glass. Factor in the possibility of leaks and drafts and you have a full-on energy vampire living in your home. Of course, there are many ways of avoiding these pitfalls, such as making sure the skylight is installed in the proper location, using a retractable cellulose shade, and choosing special glass, such as glazed, gapped, or low-emissivity. These are all great fixes, but you may find yourself spending more than you bargained for on what you had hoped would be a simple improvement.

What if there were a similar home addition that could allow you to enjoy all the benefits of a skylight without these problems? And what if the benefits of a skylight could extend beyond the immediate area it occupies? A solar tube skylight may be the answer you are looking for. Solar tubular skylights are becoming more common. These energy-saving home additions capture the sun’s light and illuminate your home without using one watt of electric power. What you’re about to learn is not science fiction; this is real, and it’s fabulous.

A solar tube skylight is really quite different from a conventional skylight in that it is so much more. There really should be a better name for it. Nevertheless, you can install a solar tube skylight in any room in your home, provided there isn’t another room above it. You’ll need to be sure that the solar tubes will have full access to sunlight and away from the shade of trees or other buildings. The way solar tube skylights operate is a three-part process. First, vertical solar tubes on your roof, or another bright, sunny area collect the sun’s light and, using reflectors, redirecting the light to one place. Next, the light is reflected through the tubes, from the top to the bottom. Finally, the light comes into your home through a diffuser, which distributes the light more evenly in all directions.

One of the best things about solar tubular skylights is that they are competitively priced with traditional skylights: you can spend as little as $400 and as much as $1100 for the parts and installation. The main difference across price points is brightness: the more expensive solar tubes collect light more effectively. If you can get by with less light, by all means, spend less money. Do note, however, that you’ll want to get a UV-protective diffuser to avoid sun damage. You can install multiple solar tubes in your home, and they can work wonders cheering up dark corners in rooms with few windows, and can improve workspaces and kitchens with natural, white light. Solar tubes are also capable of providing natural light throughout your home, even in rooms without skylights.

www.CreativeEnergyExteriors.com is the leading home improvement company and installer of Charlottesville replacement doors with dedicated service and installation teams serving not only Charlottesville but also Richmond, Fredericksburg, Williamsburg and surrounding areas.

http://www.creativeenergyexteriors.com/ is the leading home improvement company and installer of Charlottesville replacement doors http://www.creativeenergyexteriors.com/service-areas/charlottesville.html.

Author Bio: www.CreativeEnergyExteriors.com is the leading home improvement company and installer of Charlottesville replacement doors with dedicated service and installation teams serving not only Charlottesville but also Richmond, Fredericksburg, Williamsburg and surrounding areas.

Category: Advice
Keywords: Home, Repair, Environment, Construction, Advise, Tips, Green