Home & Garden

light And eAsy brighten your home with tubular skylights in A climAte where winters Are long And the lAck of sunshine weArs on our spirits, we need to make the most of our available daylight. Tubular skylights can maximize — and amplify — the amount of natural light that can be enjoyed indoors. Unlike conventional skylights, which provide a window to the sky above, tubular skylights deliver daylight rather than a view of the outdoors. "Tubular skylights can really brighten up a dark room," says Jeff Schroeder, vice-president of sales at Alliance Sky- lights. "People are amazed; a 10-inch tubular skylight can light up a 250-square-foot space, and a 14-inch gives you 30-40% more." Schroeder works with Solatube Lighting Systems. He says they take in 99.7% of available light, and they're designed to capitalize on that light. "At the top of the tube, an acrylic dome collects light from all directions. It collects passive light and low-level light, and directs it into the tube. It's able to collect equal amounts of daylight from dawn until dusk, and even when the sun is low in the sky in the winter," he says. Once collected, the light passes through a diffuser, which dispenses it evenly throughout a space. The in-ceiling fix- tures are similar in appearance to regular light fixtures, and come in many different styles. Existing lights can be replaced with a Solatube light kit, which delivers free, bright light all day long, and smart LED systems are available with tubular skylights, which have in- tegrated sensors to detect daylight levels. When sufficient daylight is present, the skylight operates using natural light. When daylight levels drop at sunset, the fixture automati- cally switches on the LED light to provide a functional light- ing fixture 24 hours a day. Tubular skylight systems generally utilize light from the roof; after that, different lengths of tube can be installed through the attic to deliver light wherever it's needed, bringing natural light to walk-in closets, hallways, garages and even basments. Unlike conventional skylights, which require major struc- tural changes when they're installed post-construction, tu- bular skylights can be installed within two hours, with no structural change required. Alliance Skylights does full installations, but Schroeder says the process is easy enough that people can install the lights themselves. For little cost — the fully installed price starts at $700 per 10-inch skylight — it's simple and fast to add abundant natural light to almost any space. For information, see www.allianceskylights.com or www.solatube.com. ❙ AFTER BEFORE Take it Outside - 09 garden Home 2014 & BringSunlightInto BringSunlightInto EveryRoomTo EveryRoomTo BrighenYourLife! BrighenYourLife! •Costeffectiveandeco-friendlywayto •Costeffectiveandeco-friendlywayto improveanyhome •Professionallyinstalledinjust2hours •Professionallyinstalledinjust2hours •Dramaticallyenhancesroomappeal •Dramaticallyenhancesroomappeal Call204-88-LIGHT(54448)fora Call204-88-LIGHT(54448)fora freein-homeconsultation. freein-homeconsultation. ALLIANCESKYLIGHTS.COM ALLIANCESKYLIGHTS Solatube®PremierDealer 204-88-LIGHT(54448)

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