General Information
A standard Solatube skylight installation can typically be completed within a day. Our certified licensee will provide an exact timeframe once they have reviewed the specific details of your project.
A Solatube Skylight is a fully installed system and your Certified Installation Consultant will be able to give you an indicative price over the phone after answering a few questions.
Unfortunately you can’t pay for your Solatube Skylight online. Your Certified Installation Consultant will advise you on your payment options.
Solatube Skylights
A Solatube skylight, also known as a tubular skylight, is installed in the roof and ceiling of a building, allowing natural light to enter an interior space. It acts as a light source giving natural daylight instead of artificial light.
From sun-up to sun-down, the Solatube skylight captures the sun’s rays using a specially engineered dome mounted on the roof. The light is then transferred downward through the tube and into your space. Designed for minimal light loss, it also easily manoeuvres around obstructions with no structural changes required. When the light reaches the room (interior), it’s delivered evenly throughout the space through specially designed Solatube diffusers.
Traditional skylights have little control over glare, hot spots, heat gain, heat loss and uniform illumination. Solatube Daylighting Systems provide quality, natural light without glare, heat gain, leaking or heat loss through the roof. Traditional skylights have their place, as do tubular daylighting devices (TDDs). There are a few key benefits of the Solatube Skylight System, however, that allow our TDDs to perform better than most skylights. These include: flexible location options, low-cost installation, optimal thermal performance, optical enhancement devices, no structural changes, consistent and visually comfortable daylighting, and easy customisation with modular components.
The sun emits UVA, UVB, and UVC rays. UVA and some UVB rays reach Earth, whereas UVC rays are absorbed by the Earth’s ozone layer so we don’t have to worry about it.
Our Solatube domes block nearly all harmful UV rays.
Your Certified Installation Consultant will be able to advise which size Solatube is right for your home. Sometimes two smaller Solatubes in a long hallway are better than one larger one.
The Solatube Skylight itself costs absolutely nothing to run as it is simply captures free daylight and transfers it into your home. The only cost would be for electricity if you opted for a Light Add-On Kit or the extraction Ventilation Add-On Kit.
Solatube skylights come in 4 tube sizes: 250mm, 350mm, 530mm, 740mm. The two smaller sizes are more common in a residential home. However, if you have a large foyer or media room you may prefer the 530mm. Generally the 750mm size is only used for commercial buildings.
The light coverage area varies among our Solatube models. Keep in mind different light levels are required for different tasks. As a result, the approximate coverage areas are shown below for ambient light levels.
The smallest Solatube 160DS (250mm) will light up 19m2; the 290DS (350mm) is 28m2; and the 330DS (530mm) is 46m2. These figures are based on a 1.82m tube length and a standard ceiling height of 2.4m. However many factors will determine the daylight coverage such as proximity to walls, furnishing colours etc.
Please see our room guide to learn more.
As a Solatube Skylight is designed to bring in daylight, it doesn't work at night; although you will have some moonlight coming through. However, you can include a Light Add-On Kit for night time use - with the added bonus of only having one diffuser on your ceiling. We also have a Solar NightLight. As the name suggests, it charges itself during the day and emits a soft comforting light at night. Please note that if your home doesn’t receive much solar light during the day (e.g. a dark winter’s day) , it may not last throughout the night. It should last long enough for midnight trips to the toilet though!
A Solatube Skylight is completely silent as there is no moving parts. The only ‘noise’ generated would be from our whisper-quiet Ventilation Add-On Kit if you had one.
No fading. If you have a genuine Solatube skylight installed all Solatube skylights block UVB and UVC radiation, and greater than 95% of UVA. In technical jargon this means that we block everything below 380nm, and only transmit 20% at 400nm.
Solatube skylights maximise the amount of daylight available for lighting your rooms interior, regardless of sky conditions. Our DS range has proprietary Raybender® 3000 and LightTracker™ Technologies in our domes, combined with our Spectralight® Infinity Tubing, transfer the maximum amount of daylight from the rooftop down into the interior with minimal light loss, even on cloudy days. Keep in mind your light output is always relative to your light input. There will be a noticeable difference in light intensity between a clear, sunny day and a heavily overcast day. Our diffusers keep a consistent diffusion pattern, regardless of light intensity.
Yes, the Solatube Daylight Dimmer controls the amount of natural light entering a room. Utilising a patented butterfly baffle design and a convenient wall-mounted switch, it allows you to adjust light levels simply and easily anywhere from between 2% and 100% daylight. Designed for both residential and commercial applications, it’s perfect for bedrooms, family rooms, offices, classrooms and conference rooms. The Daylight Dimmer is available for the Solatube Skylight 160 DS and 290 DS, and the Solatube SolaMaster® 330 DS and the SkyVault® M74.
Solar tubes, also known as light tubes, are tubular daylighting systems that capture sunlight on the roof and transmits it down a tube into the interior spaces of a building. Solatube is our brand name, and we can say with confidence that our Solatube DS Skylights deliver more average daily light on an annual basis than other passive tubular skylight devices, highest performance guaranteed.
A sun tunnel refers to the reflective tubing that directs natural light from the sun into your space. Solatube DS skylights are lined with Spectralight® Infinity, the world’s most reflective tubing.
Yes, Solatube Skylights are also known as: Sun Tunnel, Light Tube, Solar Tube, and / or Solar Tube Skylights. These all describe the type of skylight a Solatube is.
Are any Solatube products subject to a warning or a ban under section 26 of the Building Act 2004? No
Installation Help
No; all our installers attend lengthy training sessions to ensure that the Solatube is installed correctly with our leak proof flashings.
All of our installers are fully trained and certified to the highest standards, and every Solatube skylight comes with a 10-year warranty on both the product and certified installation.
Note: If a Solatube Skylight is installed by anyone other than our Certified Installation Consultants, no warranty will be given.
Our nation-wide network of licensees are trained and certified professionals who specialise in the installation of Solatube products, ensuring a clean and efficient installation process. Use our find a licensee tool to see who is your local Solatube licensee.
You can swap out the round diffusers for a different style of the same size. Simply turn the diffuser anti-clockwise until it comes free. You will see tabs on the replacement diffuser - line these up and turn clockwise until it engages.
Unfortunately no; it's a bit like a toddler’s shape sorter - you just can’t fit the square diffuser to the round tube and hole.
The Solatube roof components (dome and flashing) have been designed for installation at the roof level, not on a vertical wall. By installing the roof components on a vertical wall, the product warranty would be voided. An application where the roof components are mounted on the roof and the tubing makes a 90-degree turn to allow the diffuser to be mounted on an interior wall are within the bounds of the warranty. We do not recommend this installation though as the light could shine straight into your eyes, rather than being above you.
Yes, all Solatube skylights are designed with features that prevent water from entering the system. The round shape of the domes themselves prevent water from collecting on the surface. In addition, the design of the flashing systems allows rain run-off to naturally flow past the skylight. As a result, the flashing has no weak points that could separate and allow water to enter. However, an optional turret extension may be added to raise the dome higher if you live in an area with heavy snow fall or tropical rain.
No; to transfer the most light possible to your interior, Solatube uses a 1-to-1 product design that matches the dome to the diffuser. There is no "Y" tubing adapter available for Solatube skylights that connects two diffusers to one dome.
Yes; as long as there is space for the tube run, a Solatube skylight can run from the roof to lower floors. You can run the tube down through an upstairs cupboard and build a bulkhead (box) around it to protect the tubing.
Our recommended maximum tube length is 6m for the smaller 160DS (250mm) Solatube skylight; 9m for the medium 290DS (350mm) and 12m for the larger 330DS (530mm).
Yes; there is no minimum distance. Solatube skylights are designed for installation even where there is no access to the roof space or no roof space at all. Our unique tubing allows complete installation from the roof and inside the building.
All our products are installed by a certified licensee, please contact your local Solatube licensee or us directly if you have any questions.
Solatube Skylights tubular daylighting system is much easier to install than a traditional skylight. The installation is hassle free, designed to install with no major modifications needed to your home. In most circumstances the whole installation process can be completed in a day.
Solatube skylights have a leak proof design and come with a 10-year leak proof guarantee for your peace of mind.
Yes, we can install Solatube Skylights onto most existing roof types Solatube installation involves creating an opening in both the ceiling and roof to accommodate the tube, which channels sunlight captured by the dome into your living space. Your local certified licensee can advise upon inspection whether a Solatube can be installed on your existing roof.
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