The lights in your home make up 15 percent of the energy that is consumed in the average home. If you are able to reduce this lighting, it can have a huge impact on your energy consumption, as well as your entire budget. There are a number of ways you can reduce the amount of energy that is used for lighting, which include:
1. Turning off any lights that are not being used
2. Substitute lower wattage CFSs for the typical incandescent bulbs in your home
3. Alter your home design to provide for more natural sources of lighting
4. Increase the amount of natural light available in your home with the addition of solar tubes or skylights
While the first three options are fairly obvious, the last may be a new concept. While it may be a new idea, it is a highly effective one.
Solar lighting tubes offer a modern option to increase the amount of natural light coming into your home. The idea of the solar tube is that it collects and then funnels natural sunlight into your home. The tubes are available in a number of diameters and they are able to be installed in tighter spaces that are not accessible for the typical skylight. They are also able to be angled through any type of roof framing, to provide natural light to areas that would otherwise be unreachable.
The typical solar tube includes a collector, which is situated on the roof. Then the light collected is magnified when it hits the magnified tube. At the base of a tube, you will find a diffuser that spreads the light throughout the entire space or room.
The solar tube consists of three primary parts:
1. The rooftop collector that is on the exterior of the home
2. The magnifying tube
3. The diffusing lens located inside the home
There are a number of sizes of solar tubes with the most popular options being 10 inches, 14 inches and 21 inches. These various sizes provide for penetration between roof framings of 16 inches and 24 inches. The smaller, 10 inch option, allows you to install the solar tubes into tighter spaces.
Take some time to consider the options in order to find the right solar tubes for your home. When you do this, you will reap all the benefits this type of solar lighting has to offer.
