Take more light from the sun-pipe more light into your home-guaranteed with Solatube

SolaLighting Limited
Sola House, 17 High Street, Olney, MK46 4EB
Tel: 0845 4580101 (local rate) or 01234 241466
Fax: 01234 241766
Email: solatube@solalighting.co.uk

Homeowner

Professional

Product Info

We are so confident that no other tubular daylight system will give you more light - all day long, all year long - than a Solatube daylight system, we offer a money-back guarantee.

Please click here to see our HPG terms and conditions

How does a Solatube work?
Solatube captures daylight from your rooftop, directs it down a highly reflective tube, then delivers it into the room below - simple but brilliant! There are no running costs and the system is maintenance free. Below is a summary of the product features that make Solatube the most efficient tubular daylight system ... ever.

In the CAPTURE zone

Solatube actively harvests light in the CAPTURE zone, redirects it into the TRANSFER zone where the 99.7% reflective tube material ensures minimal light loss and maximum light transfer to the DELIVERY zone

1-Patented Raybender® 3000 Dome
Solatube doesn't just wait for light to fall on the roof dome and into the tube aperture ... our high tech dome uses a patented Fresnel lens system to actively harvest additional daylight that would otherwise have passed straight through the dome and out the other side, and redirects it down into the tube at the steepest possible angle to minimize bounces (see how fewer bounces mean less light loss in our comparison chart below).
2-Patented LightTracker™ reflector
This unique reflector, 99.7% reflective, is fixed into the dome and greatly increases the surface area available to catch yet more light and redirect it down into the tube.

In the TRANSFER zone
3-Spectralight® Infinity reflective tubing
Spectralight® Infinity is 99.7% reflective. It is the most reflective material used in tubular daylight systems and is used exclusively by Solatube. You may have seen it demonstrated on the BBC's Tomorrow's World programme. Our comparison chart below shows how tube material with a reflective value lower than 99.7% will have a significant impact on the amount of light delivered.

In the DELIVERY zone
4-Vusion® or OptiView® diffuser
A ceiling diffuser is necessary to distribute the daylight evenly throughout the room below. Solatube diffusers are sleek and contemporary, and fit neatly to the ceiling with no visible fasteners. They are double-glazed to prevent heat gain/loss and block UV transmission - no faded furnishings!

How much light will Solatube provide?
The table below shows lumen levels that you can expect to receive with UK weather conditions, but to give an exact figure for light output would be misleading because a Solatube - indeed any tubular daylight system - works in a similar manner to a window - the brighter the day outside, the more light you receive inside.

SOLATUBE MODEL	TUBE DIAMETER	LIGHT COVERAGE	*MAXIMUM LUMEN OUTPUT	POTENTIAL TUBE LENGTH
Solatube 160DS	250mm	up to 13sqm (150sqft)	4100	6 metres
Solatube 290DS	350mm	up to 22 sqm (250sqft)	8200	9 metres

*with a tube length of 1.8m relative to UK light levels (TMY2 weather data)

The daylight systems that will give more light, therefore, are those that take greatest advantage of the available light levels at all times of the day and year - and this is where Solatube is light years ahead and why we can offer a Highest Performance Guarantee.

Solatube's patented Raybender® 3000 dome and LightTracker™ reflector together can more than double the amount of daylight that enters the tube aperture over a system without these features. This is particularly important when the sun is low in the sky - in the early morning, late evening, or during winter months.

Our 99.7% reflective Spectralight® Infinity tubing then ensures that as much daylight as possible continues down the tube. Every time light bounces off a surface a certain amount of light is inevitably absorbed by that surface - how much is absorbed depends on the reflective properties of the surface. The comparison table below shows how Solatube's 99.7% reflective Spectralight® Infinity tubing plays a critical role in achieving its unrivalled performance.

Tube reflectivity comparison chart
	% of light remaining after bounces
Tube reflectivity value	0 bounces	5 bounces	10 bounces	15 bounces	20 bounces
99.7% Spectralight® Infinity	100%	98.51%	97.04%	95.59%	94.17%
98.0%	100%	90.39%	81.71%	73.86%	66.76%
96.0%	100%	81.54%	66.48%	54.21%	44.20%
95.0%	100%	77.38%	59.87%	46.3%	35.85%

You can see that even small differences in reflective value will make a significant difference to the amount of light that is finally delivered. For example, the difference between 99.7% and 98% doesn't sound that great, but when you check the percentage of light remaining after just 20 bounces, you can see that Spectralight® Infinity delivers almost 30% more light than a 98% reflective material.

Flexible duct daylight systems
The data in the chart above shows reflectivity values of rigid tube systems. We have not included flexible tube data in the chart because flexible tube by its very nature is not a reliable means of transferring light. Light entering a flexible tube will not necessarily continue to bounce on a downward path, but will scatter randomly in all directions (including upwards) as it bounces off the concertinaed surface of the tube. Some flexible tube system manufacturers claim a reflectivity value of 90% (rather optimistic in our view), but either way such systems are extremely inefficient. A recent study by the BRE (Building Research Establishment) showed that Solatube could produce more than 10 times the amount of light than a comparably sized flexible duct system.

Advantages over traditional skylights or rooflights
Solatube has some key advantages over traditional skylights too. While traditional skylights have their place, Solatube can offer adaptable location options, lower cost of purchase and installation, and better lighting performance:

Solatube - ideal for dark, windowless hallways

Solatube 3-in-1 - natural light, bathroom ventilation and electric light for night time use

Location - Solatube daylight systems can be installed in places where a traditional skylight wouldn't be an option such as rooms without direct roof access or small areas such as bathrooms, closets and hallways. Solatubes are compact in design and supplied with two angle adapters as standard that allow for installation around attic obstructions and ease of fitting for different roof pitches/angles.

Light output - Traditional skylights pass light through a drywall shaft and into the home. This means that a large percentage of light is absorbed by the walls before it even reaches the room's interior. Also, when direct light enters the drywall boxed section, you often end up with a narrow shaft of light on the floor that can fade carpets and soft furnishings.
The 99.7% reflective tubes used by Solatube ensure that any loss of light during transfer is minimal. The light is then distributed by a diffuser from ceiling level resulting in a uniform distribution of light. Soft furnishings and carpets do not fade under a Solatube because the polycarbonate dome filters all but 0.1% of UV; the ceiling diffuser then filters all but 2.4% of that UV, with the final result that over 99.9% of UV is filtered out, so no harsh shaft of light - just beautiful, evenly spread, natural light.

Heat loss/gain - On a very hot, sunny day it could become uncomfortably hot in a room with a traditional roof light. Similarly, in winter much precious and expensive heat would be lost through a traditional roof light. With Solatube's double glazed diffusers there is virtually no heat loss or gain so room temperatures are maintained, thereby saving on heating/air conditioning costs.

Cost - The installed cost of a Solatube daylight system is usually much lower than for traditional skylights. Remember, the purchase cost of the traditional skylight is only a portion of the total cost, you must also add in the cost of framing members, paint, dry walling, etc.

Leakproof - Traditional skylights have a reputation of leaking. Many times this is an issue of incorrect installation, but their square design invites problems. First, the flat up-slope side can collect branches, leaves and other debris, which can interfere with proper drainage. As the water dams up, it can migrate under slates or tiles to find an escape route, causing leaking. The round design of the Solatube flashing upstand and dome allows water and debris to flow past unobstructed. The entire unit is sealed to lock out any moisture ingress.

Multi-function - Unlike traditional skylights, Solatube daylight systems can also be multi-functional. Solatube offers several fully integrated options such as an electric light for night-time lighting, a daylight dimmer to block out the light in bedrooms, and a bathroom ventilation system. This means you can have a neat two-in-one or three-in one-system from a single ceiling fixture - see our Accessories page for more details.

Maintenance free - Solatubes are designed to be maintenance free. The design and shape of the roof dome means that debris does not build up and rain will clean away any airborne dirt. All tube joints are sealed with aluminium tape.

Product guarantee
In addition to our performance guarantee, all Solatube daylight systems are backed with a manufacturer's product guarantee. Solatube has been producing tubular daylight systems for over twenty years. Developments in technology and manufacturing over the years now mean that Solatube offers an unrivalled, high-quality daylighting system. Solatube warrants systems to be free from defects of workmanship and/or material for a period of time from the date of purchase: daylight system components - 10 years; all other products - 5 years unless otherwise noted. Daylight system components consist of domes, roof flashing, diffusers and diffuser mountings, reflective tubing, plastic, rubber or metal seals, gaskets, tapes and fasteners. Should any products be determined by Solatube to be defective, at the option of Solatube, such products shall be replaced or repaired and returned to the buyer free from defect. Buyers should report to SolaLighting Limited within 30 days of discovering fault.