What Are The Drawbacks to Solar Tube Lighting

Solar energy enabled equipments have become a new trend in the market. Companies are discovering new methods of using solar energy and bringing them into use. One such technology is Solar Tube Lighting. These are also known as sun tunnel or light pipe.

These light sources are perfect alternatives of skylights for getting the sunlight inside the room. These provide the natural way of brightening the dark areas of the house with natural or soft sunlight. Even during times when the sun is not visible, they are also accompanied by a photovoltaic technology which lightens the room anyways.

The mechanism of solar tube lighting is relatively simple. These tubes are made of polished sheet metal or with highly reflective material. These materials channelize the sunlight into the house, amplifying the same as it passes through the tube. The solar tube lights come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 10 to 22 inches in diameter. They are also capped with a clear and weatherproof dome, thereby acting as small scale skylights. Solar tube lights gained popularity because of the benefits like free lighting and low to minimal rate of leaks.

In comparison to skylights, solar tube lights have many additional benefits as well. These solar tube lights not only allow light but being narrow can be set up deeper into the rooms to bring more light inside the room.

What Are The Drawbacks to Solar Tube Lighting?

In spite of having so many benefits, solar tube lights are still not the best and the most efficient light sources to go for. Solar tube lights may be affordable and efficient in comparison to other alternatives. On comparing the pros and cons together, we concluded that cons outweigh pros. So, before buying solar tube lights, it is advisable to go through this list of cons as stated below.

No view of the sky

The ultimate purpose of solar tube lights varies and limits itself to small openings and then, amplifying the natural light to brighten the room. In this arrangement, the residents do not get any view of the sky which they would in the normal skylight. This arrangement can also bring a monotonous look in the house as well. On comparing this technology to skylights, it is observed that installing the latter not only allows ample natural sunlight to come inside the room, but also lets the residents enjoy the beautiful view of the sky.

Not suited for every home

Although solar tube lights take less roof space in comparison to the skylight, yet they take a lot of space in the house. This arrangement also reduces the chances of installing them using pipes in small homes as there is not enough space. So, it limits the usage of solar tube lighting in smaller houses. Therefore, the average family might not be able to afford that much space in their homes for the installation of the solar tube lights.

Further, the design of the roof, i.e. the slope, the slant and such other factors also form a significant hindrance while installing  solar tube lights. In comparison to skylights, another major issue is air circulation. This type of lighting is best suitable only for one-floor depths as the deeper you go into the house, the lesser light you receive. The reason being the longer the pipe, the lesser will be the light. Also, this depends upon a person’s personal choice as well. If a person wants to give preference to the appearance of the house, solar tube lights are not the best option. On the contrary, skylight boosts the appearance of the house leaps and bounds.

The only source of energy

It is essential to understand that the solar tube light’s source of power or energy is sunlight only. Though, there are some alternative light sources available but the only source of light in case of solar tube lighting is sunlight. On