Daylighting

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking advantage of natural daylighting is one the simplest and most cost effective ways to utilize solar energy in your home.  Since our home was designed to take advantage of passive solar heating, we have plenty of natural daylight.  Even if you don't plan to use passive solar, if you're building new, appropriately placed windows can generally keep you from having to turn an the lights during daylights hours in most of your home.  Tubular skylights are another option, both for new homes and for retrofitting in existing homes.

 

Tubular Skylights  A tubular skylight is basically a large lens focusing light down a reflective tube  to provide interior lighting.  They could be referred to an “extended” skylight.  However, they do have some advantages over traditional skylights.  First, they fit between standard roof joists, which mean that you don't have to cut your roof supports to install them.  Second, although they do require roof penetration, the penetration is much smaller.  That, and the profile of the collector dome, reduce the risk of roof leaks.  In addition, they do not generally have the condensation or heat loss issues of skylights or windows.  They can also be routed through a wall to an interior room that is not on the top level of the home, even a basement (not an option with a skylight).  Some manufacturers also offer lighting kits that are installed within the tubular skylight to provide nighttime lighting.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some good resources to get you started with daylighting:

 

Daylighting Information Clearinghouse -

Brought to you by the Daylighting Collaborative, this site demystifies the why, how, who, and what of the cool daylighting philosophy.  Browsing through this site, the only concern that comes to mind is potential heat lost through the clerestory windows.  Nice section on "10 daylighting myths".

 

Natural Lighting Strategies - A good overview of daylighting from PATH (The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing).  Discusses window location, Low E glazing, Seasonal Window Shading, and Tubular Skylights.

 

Fiber Optic Solar Lighting Roundup - From the ecogeek site, an overview of three different companies who have systems that gather daylight on the roof and deliver it into the home.  One of these is Sunlight Direct, listed below.

 

Sunlight Direct - based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Sunlight Direct manufactures and installs a Hybrid Solar Lighting systems that combine sunlight gathered on the roof with electric illuminants, all in one fixture.  These are typically used in commercial/industrial applications, but might one day be cost effective for the home as well.

 

Tubular Skylight Manufacturers - From Eco Business Links, a list of over 15 tubular skylight manufacturers, including some with interior lighting kits for nighttime use.