TUBULAR SKYLIGHT: Start saving lighting electricity with Solatube today

GetWithGreen.com set out last week to purchase a tubular skylight. We needed a tubular skylight for a remodel we are doing, and we chose a tubular daylight device because we wanted to reduce the need for electricity to light a hallway.

Using the list of tubular skylight manufacturers GetWithGreen compiled last year, we selected Solatube. Solatube was selected solely because their website provided the most complete information about tubular daylight device. After a great introductory conversation with Marjorie Clark at Sunlight Concepts, Inc. (Solatube reseller and installer), we decided to drive down and make our purchase.

There are many options when purchasing a tubular daylight device. Here are the items you will need to consider:

1. How much space are you attempting to light? The Solatube products come in a 10″ diameter (Model 160 DS) and a 14″ diameter (Model 290 DS). Tricky in their naming, the 160 DS means that it lights roughly 160-200 square feet, and 290 DS means it provides coverage for 300 square feet. For our hallway we decided that a 10″ skylight would fit the bill. The 160 DS retails for $350, and the 290 DS for $450. Your contractor will likely receive a discount on these products.
2. Light or No Light. Solatube sells an optional electrical light fixture that installs inside the skylight for night-time use. This is a really nice option if you are installing the light in a hallway or closet. Since a tubular daylight device looks just like a recessed light when installed, we found this to be a great option! We purchased one. Depending on which one you want, the price ranges from $99-125 MSRP.
3. Diffuser Type. Each product comes with a standard diffuser. A diffuser is the lens that you see when you look up at your skylight. Each diffuser offers a different type of light. Make sure the showroom you visit has different installations so you can see the differences. The standard diffuser was very appealing. Marjorie let us borrow the optional OptiView diffuser so that we can test it after our install. The OptiView delivers a bright light, and will also let off a prism effect on your wall in some cases. We urge you to ask your retailer to borrow the different types.
4. Softening Lens. Once the diffuser is installed, you can purchase an optional softening lens that changes the color of the light. Once again, Marjorie was awesome, and she let us borrow a few different types…three different ones to be exact. They are very easy to swap out once your daylight device is installed. Again, ask your retailer to let you borrow a few to test out. If you decide to purchase they can cost you $15+.
5. Tubing. Your Solatube Daylighting System will come standard with 4 ft of tubing that pipes the light from the roof to the installed “light” in your ceiling. Our installation required 8 ft, so we purchase two 24″ extensions which cost us $21.11 each. The extension allow us to make a slight angle in our way to the roof as well. NOTE: the product also include flashing for the roof. The flashing included pre-drilled holes which we thought was a nice touch.
6. Other. Are you going to install the skylight yourself? The team at Sunlight Concepts charges $250 for installation. Some towns require a permit for installing a product like this.

Check back with us in a week or so, and we’ll let you know how our installation goes. For those of you in the San Jose, CA area, stop in and see Marjorie at Sunlight Concepts. She has all the various products installed in the showroom, and she is super friendly and an absolute pleasure to work with!

See more on Daylighting Systems from GetWithGreen.com

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