While skylights are a great way to add natural light to your home or business, solar tubes may be a more cost-effective way to increase indoor sunlight.

An overview of solar tubes

A solar tube or sun tunnel is an alternative to skylights for introducing sunlight to a building’s interior. First, sunlight enters a metallic tube that connects a transparent covering that protrudes from the roof to the room’s interior. Then, as the natural light is channeled along the length of the tube, it is reflected off a polished sheet metal material that works as an uninterrupted mirror.

While solar tubes don’t produce any solar electricity, some products have integrated photovoltaic (PV) technologies to create artificial lighting when there’s no sun. However, solar tubes are not a replacement for electric lighting. If anything, it’s an effective alternative to a skylight.

Advantages of solar tubes

Some benefits of installing a solar tube include:

• It has a lower overall cost
• It’s an easy installation process
• It is energy efficient

Disadvantages of solar tubes

Keep these drawbacks of solar tubes in mind:

• They offer no view of the sky
• They are susceptible to damage in extreme temperatures
• You can’t open them

By comparison, traditional skylights provide a direct view of the sky and can be opened and closed for ventilation. In addition, they can also increase the resale value of your home. However, they are more expensive to install and increase UV-ray penetration. In addition, they aren’t energy efficient in warm weather, as the direct sunlight increases indoor temperature, which inevitably leads to increased air conditioner use.

Choose a solar tube

Since solar tubes are a lower-cost and energy-efficient natural lighting substitute for skylights, it is the ideal way to introduce natural light to your home.

Let the sun in

As a leading solar tube specialist company, Sundowner Skylights offers products for residential and commercial applications. We provide a range of unique attachments to customise the appearance of your lighting. Get in touch with us today for more information on our solar tube and installation services.

How Do Sun Tubes Work?

What Are Sun Tubes?

Sun tubes consist of three sections, that which is on the top of the roof, the internal middle structure and the bottom which will be seen when standing inside the building or home.

Most of the system is designed out of plastic, with the top of the system containing a plastic dome, made to be as resilient to the weather as possible.

Also known as tube light, the top of the system is clear, which allows the sun’s light in, while still ensuring that the exposure is not damaging.

This is thanks to the help of the internal middle part of the sun tube, designed with a polished interior, which allows for the reflective material which is included in this section to function as a deterring agent against the suns rays.

What this means is that not only will there be no glare from the bottom of the sun tube, it will also not increase the amount of heat within the office or home space.

In terms of the bottom of the tube light, the end of the system contains a diffuser which spreads the light being funnelled through, allowing the room to be filled with the proper amount of light.

A skylight company will be able to install the right size sun tube for your roof, which will ensure that there is enough light entering the room in the day and in the night.

A company such as Sundowner Skylights will also make sure that the amount of natural lighting will not increase the amount of heat in the room, through limiting the number of tube lights.

Natural Light

The main reason why you want to install sun tubes is because of the fact that they are able to bring in more natural light into your space, rather than using electrical lights.

Not only is this a huge benefit in terms of decreasing the amount of electricity you use, but you are also adding much more of a natural look and feel in your office or home.

Sundowner Skylights, a skylight company in Cape Town, will be able to install the right amount of tube lights for your area, ensuring that you are receiving the right amount of natural lighting both in the day and night.

Limited Roof Size

Sun tubes are recommended for smaller surface area roofs as they will be able to improve the quality of light is distributed into the room, where it wouldn’t make sense to install a normal skylight.

Sundowner Skylights will be able to give you the correct information on which size sun tube will be best for your specific roof, helping to get your dream lighting in your space, in a short amount of time.

Easy Installation

The installation process is quick, as mentioned above, with Sundowner Skylights being able to install your tube lights in your roof in about 4 hours.

The amount of time which the process will take does not include any painting or drywalling. This is a huge benefit as not requiring this will mean that as soon as it is installed, it will be able to be used.

On top of this, the fact that the installation does not require that much time, and is not that complicated, means that the price of installation is relatively low.

The only thing you will have to focus on is choosing the right skylight company which will be installing your sun tube.

Benefits

Reduce Energy Costs

Of course, when it comes to installing a tube light, the fact that natural light is being used over electrical light will ensure that your overall energy costs will be decreased.

Being able to decrease the amount of electricity you’re using is always a benefit for your office or home. The reason for this is that it frees up more funds for other things you might want to purchase or improve upon.

Sundowner Skylights aim to ensure that with every client they provide a sun tube with, they are helping that client decrease their energy expenditure and help the planet in terms of decreasing the environmental impact.

Improved Work Productivity

With light throughout the day and night coming into your space, you will be able to be far more productive throughout.

Tubelights help because of the fact that you will be able to have a light source which is constant, limiting the need for electrical lights for much longer.

Another big plus is that night light is also far more effective, meaning that if there is load-shedding, you will have an extra couple of hours to get any work done.

The use of sun tubes is also an improvement in offices, where fluorescent lighting is most commonly used. The addition of natural light is not only a functional benefit, but it also boosts peoples moods, which can improve your employee’s productivity.

Low Maintenance

When it comes to maintenance, we all want to know how much time and effort we are going to have to put into keeping a product or products which serve us up to date.

This includes cleaning it, repairs, and any further updates it may need in order to function correctly.

Where a sun tube may need a little bit of light cleaning, no pun intended, it is by far a product which once installed, requires very low maintenance.

This is not only a benefit for you but it is also a testament to the quality provided by Sundowner Skylights.

Better For The Environment

Sundowner Skylights is a proud believer in ensuring that businesses and individuals alike are decreasing their energy costs, which therefore decreases energy consumption and need, helping to decrease these spaces in terms of environmental impact.

Sun tubes are a great alternative to electrical lighting, using the sun’s light in order to bring illumination into a house or office.

At the present moment, the environmental impact of businesses, and individuals, has seen major negative affects on the planet.

This includes climate change in the long term, as well as issues such as deforestation, air pollution and affects the quality of drinkable water, as well as rainwater.

We as humans need to ensure that we are doing everything we can to limit the severity of our own environmental impact, therefore helping to stop our planet from becoming virtually a wasteland.

If we all try and make a difference in some way, we all be sure to make changes in the short and long term.

Be sure to take a serious look at how installing tube lights in your space could help you to improve your environmental impact, as well as how it could benefit your area as a whole.

Health Benefits

Sun tubes are not just bringers of light into your home or office, they also serve another, more important purpose.

The health benefits that you can get from natural light is what will allow you to stay motivated and remain as healthy as possible.

One of the major benefits of the sun is the fact that it provides you with your  Vitamin D requirements, the natural way.

On top of this, getting sun also helps with issues in terms of blood pressure, where it actually lowers your blood pressure, helping to decrease any chances of risk.

Another benefit is also that the sun’s rays ensure that your mood will remain high, helping to energise you.

Low-Cost Installation

As mentioned above, the fact that you are able to install a tube light into your roof, without the need for extra conversions to your roof, means that the price of installation will below.

Unlike the installation of electrical lighting, which requires the addition of wires, connecting wires to circuits and ensuring that all of the safety measures have been put in place, installing a sun tube requires an entry point from the top of the roof, space in the internal section and an exit point in the office space or home.

After this, the tube will be installed, with minimal additions, and there we go, you now have your natural lighting.

Choosing The Right Sun Tube Installer

Location

Finding the right sub tube supplier will focus on a multitude of factors, one being the location of your skylight company, as well as where they install the sun tubes themselves.

Location, in the sense of where to find your installer, can become quite easy, as with Sundowner Skylights a skylight company in Cape Town, their business has built a nationwide service of installing sun tubes.

In terms of location of tube light on your roof, a professional installer will look at the overall picture of your area, internally and externally, in order to provide the right tube, in terms of size and position, to maximise the light in your space.

Right Quality

Quality will always be important simply because of the fact that if something is the low quality you are going to find that the maintenance, and in some cases the number of replacements, will skyrocket.

Not only will the replacements skyrocket, but the price will also skyrocket, where you might have to replace parts a lot more than you expected.

Sundowner Skylights is not only a provider of top-quality tube lights, but they also provide top-notch installation, ensuring that your sun tube will work the way it is meant to, for a long period of time, with low maintenance.

Be sure to contact Sundowner Skylights for more information on getting the right sun tube for you.

Correct Waterproofing

Waterproofing treatments will need to be done and if you have the right installer, they will be able to get done within a short amount of time, and to a high degree, ensuring that there are no leakages from the beginning.

On top of this, sun tubes are designed to have weatherproofing as an inclusion, ensuring that the rain, wind, dust, hail and even the sun, doesn’t affect the structure and integrity of the material.

By choosing the right skylight company, you’re also ensuring that you will have a positive long term outcome, rather than more stress than you thought you would have.

Aesthetic

Something which is an added feature to installing a tube light, from a professional installer, is the fact that they will be able to improve the lighting of your home or office, which is not only a good thing for visibility and concentration, but also in terms of the look and feel of the space.

Having a natural light source helps improve the aesthetic of your space, while also allowing you to look at what can be changed in the space, in order to use the lighting to your advantage.

Improvements make take a long time in terms of your decor, however, thee installation of your sun tube will be a sweet and simple process.

Safe Installation

Finally, what you want from your installer is to bet consciously of the fact that although the process of installation may be simple, they are still dealing with factors such as roof height, roof quality and roof material.

If they are not focused on preventing any accidents from occurring while installing sun tubes, they are not the right installers for you.

With roofs containing asbestos, installers need to be aware of the fact that this is harmful not only to them but also those living in the houses.

Taking the right safety precautions is something that will reduce risk not only in the short term but so too in the long term.

Contact Sundowner Skylights For More Information

If you’re looking for high-quality sun tubes, adding more natural light into your home or office, contact Sundowner Skylights today for more information.

The beautiful Louvre Pyramid is considered one of the world’s most iconic design masterpieces.

30 Years after the pyramid was unveiled, the Louvre stands in front of the world’s most visited museum, and despite its youth, the pyramid has become an extremely important part of Paris’ renowned cityscape. Vying with the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower for the title of Paris’ most recognizable landmark, the Louvre Pyramid officially opened in 1989 and it instantly gained notoriety and not the kind that designers were really going for.

The structure, which is made from metal and glass was designed by Chinese-born and founder of Pei Cobb Freed and Partners, the late I.M Pei,, sits atop the Louvre Pyramid’s underground, yes still being filled with light, a lobby that connects the museum’s three pavilions Denon, Richelieu and Sully. The Pyramid has a base and an apex of 71 feet (21 meters), its dimensions form a miniature Great Pyramid of Giza.

The Louvre Pyramid was first constructed in the 21^st century as a fortress, what is known today as the Louvre Museum which served at a royal residence before it becomes a public museum in 1793 after the French Revolution. So how exactly did a modern take on the ancient Egyptian architecture end up in the City of Light? Below are some interesting facts about the Louvre Pyramid.

1. The pyramid was built to serve a purpose

While the Louvre Pyramid may be an architectural marvel, earning a lot of attention just by being there, the Pyramid was originally commissioned for a functional purpose. In 1981, the Grand Louvre project was announced by the French President François Mitterrand, this included a redesign of the museum and the addition of space. The museum would incorporate the Richelieu Wing of the palace, and at the time, it was serving as the home of the Ministry of Finance.  Once the Grand Louvre project was completed, the exhibition space doubled, with the pyramid then acting as the new visitor entrance, it also offered access into the museum’s three pavilions. In order for this program to be successful, it required more than 92 000 square meters of floor space. It was not possible to imagine creating so much space near the Louvre above the ground, which is why they needed to have it beneath the courtyard. They have experimented with many different forms, they even tried a cube or a curved shape. But when looking at the type of silhouette the Louvre has, there is no curve, thus they had to exclude the curves. In conclusion, they decided that the pyramid was the only shape that was going to be acceptable for the Louvre.

The structure, which is made from glass and metal, was originally designed by Chinese-born architect I.M Pei, the founder of Pei Cobb Freed and Partners.

2. The Louvre Pyramid was called “Architectural Joke”

Pei was selected by Mitterrand for the Grand Louvre project, eschewing an architecture competition often held for bigger public projects, this was a decision that “infuriated many” according to the Architect Magazine. The design that Pei came up with was not much better received than Mitterrand’s unilateral decision, and the criticism abounded.

Pei explains that he prepared himself for controversy in this instance and that he was not at all surprised when they were attacked.

According to a press statement from the Louvre, when the design was first presented, it brought up a lot of media controversy and also unleased passions on both technical and aesthetic grounds. But today, we celebrate the Louvre Pyramid as part of the Paris landscape, much like the initially controversial Eiffel Tower. Even though the Pyramid is referred to as a “scar on the face of Paris” by Captain Bezu Fache in the “Da Vinci Code” film, an article that came out in the Arch Daily stated that the juxtaposition of the modern structure and the French Renaissance architectural style of the museum offers quite the complimentary effect which helps enhance each of the design’s details as well as its beauty.

3. The Pyramid is actually too small now

Despite the initial intention of the Louvre Pyramid to improve visitor reception along with the additional 650 000 square feet of space underground, the final accommodations of the Grand Louvre project have already been surpassed by the museum’s continuously growing popularity.

The Louvre Pyramid accommodated 3.5 million visitors in 1989, however, in 2018, it accommodated 10.2 million. Insufficient for having such great attendance, the number would be more or less 27 000 people each day if the museum were open every day, which it is not, the reorganization took place in 2014 to 2016.

The Louvre Pyramid project brought in more visitors by reorganizing reception and entrance areas. With the addition of two very large information desks, better signage, soundproof pillars, redesigned ticketing facilities and many other changes and improvements, the access control at the Pyramid entrance had to be doubled.

4. Brand new glass was developed in order to build it

Pei was the one who insisted on having complete transparency with the Pyramid glass so that when people looked through it, there would be absolutely no perceptible change in the Palace. It was quite a challenge to find a clear glass as glass has that faint greenish or blueish tint to it. So Pei found the French manufacturing company Saint-Gobain in order to create a new glass specifically for the project.

Many months of extensive research went into developing this 21.5-millimetre extra-clear laminated glass, with its top-quality mechanical properties and high optical quality.

It took close to two years to get this just right, and the removal of the iron oxides required them to construct a certain furnace. The resulting “Diamond Glass” is perfectly laminated like your vehicle windshields, so if it breaks because of an impact, the plastic will retain the fragments. There are 19 375 square feet of glass in the Louvre Pyramid. Just in case any of the glass pieces ever break, Saint-Gobain made enough glass to build two of the pyramids, even though after over 30 years, the Pyramid has not needed any repairs.

A Seattle company developed a remote-controlled robot in 2002; the robot climbs the Pyramid to clean the glass.

5. Cleaning the glass is a monumental task

So the Louvre Pyramid has managed to escape the need for glass repair, maintenance is a completely different story. If you think cleaning your home windows is a difficult task, try cleaning windows with a 71-foot sloped structure? The regular carriage or boom system dropped from the top of the pyramid are useless, and it is impossible to use scaffolding, and you can forget about lift bucket systems.

Back in the day, they hired mountaineers in order to scale the Pyramid and clean the glass, but they needed an automated method. In the 1990s, they designed a robot in order to do the job. Thereafter, in 2002, a new model was developed by Seattle company Advanced Robotic Vehicles, it was a double breadboxes-sized robot. The robot was moved by remote control, they climbed the Pyramid on tracks and were secured to the glass by using suction cups.

However, there are certain tasks that are just impossible to automate, the water features near the Pyramid deposit a mist which is loaded with tartar on the glass, the glass needs to be descaled form time to time.

6. The Pyramid’s design aligns with French tradition

Despite the fact that it seems in contrast with the French Renaissance style of the museum, the Louvre Pyramid is still in keeping with certain French architectural traditions. According to W.Jude LeBlanc, who was a professor at Georgia Tech School of Architecture, Pei’s choice of the pyramid was not arbitrary. In fact, the country had a Neoclassical relationship with the Platonic solid, and while it was not a tetrahedron itself because of its square base, the Louvre Pyramid speaks to this relationship. Forward and innovative, Neoclassical architects of the 1700s, like Lequeu, Boullee, and Ledoux, used to experiment with pyramidical forms which were deployed as monuments, cenotaphs or other programs.

In fact, in 1989 when the pyramid first opened, The New York Times remarked that it “communicated” with the existing monuments of Paris and that the country’s architectural history was “ laden with references” to these types of architects, who relied on blunt geometric forms which include pyramids.

7. It is not the Louvre Pyramids only entrance

Even though the Louvre Pyramid was initially constructed to accommodate a visitor’s entrance, it is not the only way to get into the Pyramid, and sometimes it is not even the best way into the Pyramid. Considering the huge volumes of visitors who flock to the Louvre Pyramid, we would definitely recommend buying tickets online in advance. By buying an online ticket for a specific time slot, you can expect to enter the museum in less than an hour.

When arriving at the museum, even those who have bought advance tickets will be expected to stand in a queue, possibly right in front of the Pyramid. However, visitors who have a single or group ticket, can either through the Passage Richelieu, which is just off the Rue de Rivoli right across from the Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre metro station.

Different Types of Skylights

A skylight allows natural beauty and sunlight to enter a home. In addition to adding structural and aesthetic appeal, skylights offer the benefit of reducing reliance on electricity for heating and lighting purposes.

Basically, skylights are windows that are built into the roof of a house. There are many different types of skylight available today, and each one has its own purpose. One of the most common styles of skylights is fixed skylights, which is any kind that is not able to open. The primary purpose of a fixed skylight is to allow the natural light to come into the house for lighting or heating purposes. There are different types of fixed skylights and they come in an array of shapes and sizes, this includes round, flat, pyramid, polygon, and dome shapes. You can also find tubular fixed skylights, which are quite small. These skylights are perfect for small closets or bathrooms in which bigger skylights are not an option.

Some types of skylights, known as ventilating skylights, are made to open in order to allow the air to pass through.

These types of skylights are ideal for bathrooms and kitchens that have a high level of humidity. To make it more convenient, a ventilating skylight can be operated from the ground by using a remote control. There are some more advanced models that also include an automatic sensor, the sensor opens and closes at predetermined temperatures.

Skylight is generally comprised of either glass, synthetic or acrylic material known as Lexan. Each of these materials has different advantages and disadvantages. Glass skylights are usually more costly than the rest; however, they are scratch-resistant and more durable than any other skylights. Acrylic skylights are a bit more affordable, and they can be embedded with impact modifiers, which can make them more durable. Synthetic materials are easily cut into other shapes and sizes. They are also more affordable and can last longer.

There are many different options to choose from when trying to decide on a skylight. Homeowners should always consider not only the type of skylight and its shape but also its insulation and glazing factor. You are able to purchase skylights that have multiple panes of glass, the air that is tapped in between serves as an insulator in order to keep hot or cold air of the house. There are skylights that will work for just about any room in your house.

At Sundowner Skylights, we offer a wide variety of skylights and skylight installations. For more information, visit our website on www.sundownerskylight.com.

This is an eco-friendly, energy-efficient method of introducing natural light throughout your home.  No costly electrical light globes with artificial lighting left on all day when you have our tubular skylights shedding light everywhere. Sundowner Tube lights use light collectors, reflective tubes, and diffusers to bring the natural light indoors with all-round coverage even when the sun is at its weakest in winter.

Easy to install with no major alterations necessary makes this a cost-effective method of transforming your home or even your industrial premises or sports club.

A 320mm tubular skylight is roughly equivalent to a 500-watt light bulb in the winter and a 1000-watt bulb in summer making this a perfect solution to dark rooms in any location.

Our company is the biggest tubular skylight supplier in South Africa.

We offer the most affordable solar lighting systems anywhere in the country with distributors nationwide. We have gained the reputation of being trustworthy and reliable manufacturers during our 18 years of experience.

Take a look at our range of Fans

We have a wide range of ceiling and wall-mounted extractor fans from our sister site, Sunvent which supplies wall-mounted chimney or kitchen extractor fans as well as large industrial extraction fans and blowers.

  Going Green with Skylights

Today Architects plan homes to lessen humanity’s impact on our planet.  Sustainable building has become a   profitable business that no longer needs to be costly.  One of the conditions of a sustainable building is providing ample natural light which diminishes the cost of electric lighting during the day, improving health benefits and the resale value. Homes with sustainable elements are more popular and sell for higher prices.  The eco-movement is a growing trend so be aware of small changes you can make with Sundowner Skylights.

Skylights are beautiful ways to let all that natural sunlight into your office or home. They are designed to look elegant and add an exotic feel. We take a look at the advantages, features and sizes and colours they come in.

What are the advantages of a skylight?

Firstly, lighting up your home with natural sunlight, why not, it’s beautiful, elegant and neatly finished. With turbo skylights, the sunlight is distributed evenly. A unique skylight is made from solid reflective aluminium which you can choose to be flat, curved or a dome, this gives you access to more natural light for longer. Lastly, turbo skylights are way eco-friendlier, they offer better insulation and there is minimal UV penetration.

What are the features of a skylight?

A dome is UV stabilised with acrylic that’s 4mm thick. Aluminium tubing is anodised aluminium sheets that are highly polished, it has a mirror effect and is imported from Europe. There are different types of diffusers; curved or flat prismatic, flat prism diffuser, curved prism diffuser, flat satin matte diffuser and curved satin matte diffuser. Always chat to the experts on which skylight will best suit your home.

What sizes and colours do skylights come in?

There are 3 available sizes of skylights, namely; 450mm, 320mm and 250mm. The size ultimately depends on the look and feel you are going for. There are 4 colours available for you to choose from; copper, gold, silver and white.

Looking for a skylight for your office or home, contact Sundowner Skylights.

Check out our website on all you need to know www.sundownerskylights.com , Fill out the contact form on our site for us to give you a call back, give us a call on 021 982 8166 or pop us a mail sales@sundownerskylights.com

Skylights produce natural light that adds value to buildings and enhances their aesthetics. They also reduce expenses and help the area warm up by using natural sunlight.

Depending on the installation, the heat might be overbearing, so the location of the skylight is important to consider.

Skylights when installed can make or break your perfect idea of a wonderful skylight in your home or workplace.

The most common skylight is called a tube light or a sun tube.

When you decide to install a skylight, ensure that no alternative cheaper route is taken during the installation process of your skylight or else you may have more issues down the line.

Certify that the skylight is correctly waterproofed to reduce chances of leaks.

If you are installing the skylight yourself, confirm that you are tied down correctly and safely before commencing work on the roof as there is a high chance of you falling.

The skylight should be installed in the best area of your home in order to produce maximum benefits of its use. The person installing needs to understand where an why the installation of the skylight needs to be placed.

Regular maintenance and cleaning must occur when your skylight is in place. Depending on the type of skylight you have will depend on the type of annual maintenance needed.

There is no related risk to you or your family when there is a skylight in your home.

A skylight will bring the appeal of your house to a much higher level – thus increasing value to your home.

A skylight from Sundowner Skylight will bring much more natural light into your home.

Contact this Skylight company in Cape Town today for quotes and installation services for your brand-new skylight!