This handy guide will help you make the right choice to maximise natural light flowing into your home, reduce your energy bills and keep the heat outside – where it belongs.

The key benefits of MaxLight skylights

Before we discuss which skylights you should use in each room of your house, here are just a few reasons why you should choose MaxLight skylights over other brands.

• MaxLight skylights are energy rated
• They come with a unique advanced roof dome
• Skylight installation is easier
• MaxLightuses cutting-edge technology
• Rest assured with seamless leak-proof roof flashing
• MaxLight features the highest super-reflective anodised tube
• You have a choice of diffusers and decorative trims
• They offer an industry-leading 20-year warranty
• MaxLight are Australian designed, made and owned
• MaxLight features a unique triple lens diffuser

You can’t go wrong with MaxLightt, as so many of our satisfied customers have already discovered. You can control the light far better with MaxLight, and they’re even energy rated, meaning they are proven to reduce energy costs in your home.

The MaxLight ML250

This skylight features a 250mm tube, hence its name. This is the smallest option in the MaxLight range and should therefore be considered for smaller areas of the home. Ideally, they’re great for lighting rooms up to 18m2. Popular rooms for the MaxLight ML250 include:

• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Laundries
• Walk-in wardrobes

They’re even great for hallways, however, depending on the length of the hallway, you may consider two or more skylights. When choosing the ML250, you also have a range of diffuser options, depending on your requirements. Choose from:

• Prismax Diffuser – the traditional lens used for most skylights.
• Warm Diffuser – A matt satin surface that produces warm and soft light.
• Aurora Diffuser – Transmits and spreads light effectively in every room.
• Auroramax Diffuser – This Fresnal micro-optic lens is engineered to transmit pure, natural light evenly regardless of the sun’s angle.

The MaxLight ML400

Much like the 250ML, the name here comes from the tube diameter. The MaxLight ML400 features a 400mm diameter tube and diffuser. This is definitely the option for those larger rooms in your house, as it’s capable of spreading light evenly throughout rooms up to 25m2. You should consider the MaxLight ML400 for larger rooms, such as:

• Lounge rooms
• Dining Rooms
• Open, combined living spaces
• Large kitchens
• Wide hallways

Once again, you have the same diffuser options, so this skylight can be tailored to suit your needs. However, it’s important to note that the MaxLight ML400 also comes in a Hybrid version. The ML400 Hybrid features a square diffuser, measuring 400mm x 400mm. Not only does it bring in more light, increasing the lighting capacity to rooms up to 28m2, but it also provides a different aesthetic for your room.

Solar dimming options

One of the great things about MaxLight skylights is the solar dimming option. This is available in both the ML250 and ML400 models and gives you greater control over the amount of light in your room. Best of all, it won’t cost you a cent in electricity because the dimming function is solar-powered.

A small solar panel is installed on the roof to power the dimmer mechanism. This mechanism sits above the diffuser and is controlled by a remote control. Perhaps the best part is that no additional wiring is required, so you can install the dimmer function yourself without the need for an electrician.

Contact SolarBright for MaxLight skylights today

SolarBright is your local solar and skylight specialist. We’ve got a huge range of skylight options to suit all homes, old and new. Whether you’re building a new home or renovating an old one, we’ve got lighting solutions for you. Cut energy costs by flooding your home with beautiful, natural light. Best of all, MaxLight diffusers only let light into your home, not excess heat, so you can stay cool in summer. Contact the team today to get started.

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The post Everything you need to know about MaxLight skylights: benefits, options and how to choose appeared first on SolarBright.

What are tubular skylights?

Tubular skylights offer a different solution for homes especially in situations where traditional skylights aren’t viable. If you have a larger roof cavity or attic, a tubular skylight may be your only option. In a tubular skylight, sunlight is captured through a dome on the roof and reflected down a mirrored tube before reaching the diffuser, which sends light into the home. Diffusers are often much smaller than traditional skylights but still deliver plenty of light. The diffuser also prevents heat from entering the home.

Generally, tubular skylights are much more cost-effective and easier to install.

What are traditional skylights?

Traditional skylights are much larger, and this is part of their appeal. They’re generally square or rectangular and let natural light directly into the home. You can look up during the day and see the sky or gaze at the stars of an evening. This creates a wonderful aesthetic for any home, which is why many people choose the traditional option.

Installation is a much more difficult, and costs are higher, but many people like the overall look and feel of a traditional skylight.

The main differences

There are several key differences between traditional and tubular skylights. These differences may sway you one way or another, as it really depends on what you’re looking for when considering skylight installation. Some may look at the outright cost as the major consideration, while others may take a more long-term approach and consider energy efficiency. To help you make the right decision for your home, here are the main differences between the two.

Installation

While most people would hire a professional to install their skylights, the installation process is still important to understand. Why? Because the installation process will go some way to determining the overall cost of your skylights.

The process of installing a traditional skylight is much more complex. There is more carpentry involved, and flashings need to be carefully installed to prevent leaks. In addition, the internal ceiling needs to be finished more carefully to obtain a quality look.

Tubular skylights, on the other hand, can be installed in a couple of hours. The dome is installed on the roof with appropriate flashing, and the tube is extended to the ceiling. The diffuser can be set into the ceiling with only minimal internal work.

Price

When analysing the price difference between traditional and tubular skylights, it’s a little difficult to provide accurate figures. Each style has a budget range all the way through to more premium products with advanced technology. As a rough guide, however, tubular skylights with a metal tube can cost as little as $700 for smaller models and $1,200 for more advanced and larger models.

Traditional skylights, however, are generally more expensive. The prices range from $1,500 up to $3,500, including installation. It can be a pretty stark difference, and a lot of the price variance is down to the complexity of installation.

Energy efficiency

For those who place a lot of emphasis on long-term benefits, energy efficiency is one of the main considerations. Making use of natural light is always energy-efficient because you don’t need to use electricity to power your lights when you’re getting ample sunlight from above. However, there are more factors at play than just the light.

Depending on their size, traditional skylights are known to deliver more natural light into the home because they cover a larger area. Tubular skylights capture light through a dome on the roof, with the light then being diffused into the home. The major issue is with the transfer of heat. The diffuser on tubular skylights prevents unwanted heat from coming into your living space, which is something traditional skylights don’t offer. So, in summer, you may enjoy natural light with a traditional skylight, but you also get the intense heat, which means your air conditioner needs to work harder to maintain your desired temperature.

To help control the heat let into the home you need to spend up to $500 per traditional skylight for an optional remote-control blind. When the blind is closed this helps to block out the heat, but it also blocks out the light.

Need help choosing the right skylights in Sydney?

Solar Bright offers a huge range of skylights for all different types of homes. We’re specialists in skylight installation in Sydney, and we can recommend the perfect solution for your home. The Solar Bright team is ready to discuss your needs, and you can always count on us for quality products and installations. Contact us today to find out more!

The post Tubular Skylights and Traditional Skylights – What is the Difference? appeared first on SolarBright.

Nowadays, more and more families and businesses are seeing and reaping the benefits of skylights, as they are easy to install and will help save you on electricity bills. If you are serious about installing a skylight for your home or business, you are probably thinking if you could do it yourself or get a professional to do it?

DIY Skylight Installation

If you are the hands on type of person and love doing home repairs and installations, a SolarBright Skylight is an easy do-it-yourself job that requires only the basics in DIY skills and with basic tools for the job. You can always install your new skylight yourself. Skylight installation will take a few hours to install if you are installing yourself, and there is no greater feeling than seeing the end result of your handy work.

Professional Skylight Installation

Finding the right skylight installer will not only save you the headache of having to do it yourself, but the job can be finished within 2 hours depending on how big your new skylight is. As you know, with any home renovations, there is always going to be mess, and skylight installation is no different. Luckily for you though, a SolarBright installer not only takes pride in their work, but the only thing you will see is your brand new skylight once it has been installed. SolarBright has a number of certified dealers that will happily fulfil all your skylight installation requirements.

Whether you are looking to install a skylight in your home of office, SolarBright has skylights that will see your next electricity bill drop.

Read More:

• How Much Does a Solar Power System Save and is Solar Worth It?
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• Tubular Skylights and Traditional Skylights – What is the Difference?

The post Skylight installation: DIY versus Professionals appeared first on SolarBright.

Lately, the trend has been defined quite clearly: new home builders in Sydney these days are going wild over skylights. Natural light, soft and seasonally-aware, has been given a notable vote of confidence by designers of late, and has been invited into the majority of new homes in this fine city.

Perhaps the health effects, or the pleasure of the soft quality of the lighting has convinced new builders to incorporate these skylights. Regardless of the incentive, skylights in Sydney have become intertwined with the current age, and this affiliation has bred some very interesting designs. Some Skylights, otherwise known as tube skylights, or sun tubes, even provide architects with the ability to channel light far below the roofline, bringing natural light pouring into subterranean levels or the lower levels of homes that otherwise couldn’t benefit from a traditional skylight. This, in particular, has introduced this trend to a wide audience of avant-garde home designers, intent on making a new and creative use of it.

And why not? The usage of skylights runs far back in to the annals of architecture. Monasteries in Europe, hundreds of years old, feature ‘light cannons’ in their ceilings, intended to allow light in and illuminate the residents. Luckily for a city as blessed with natural light as Sydney, these lessons were not lost back in medieval times.

Read More:

• Tubular Skylights and Traditional Skylights – What is the Difference?Skylight installers
• Commercial Solar – A Business Case Study
• How Much Does a Solar Power System Save and is Solar Worth It?

The post Skylights Take off in Sydney appeared first on SolarBright.

Adding free sunlight into your home and workspace has been proven to have both psychologically and physiologically benefits. Pure sunlight, rather than electric lighting, provides the full visible spectrum of light, which helps reduce eyestrain and makes colours in our belongings, decor and clothing look their true colour. This can be particularly important in retail environments where you are trying to make your goods look as attractive as possible, and at home where you want your carefully selected furniture and decor to look exactly as it did in the store or magazines.

Many people initially are concerned about harmful UV rays doing damage to their interior, but today the majority of quality skylight manufacturers ensure their domes or glazing are UV resistant and this simple is not a problem anymore. Yet the rays allowed into your indoor space still help indoor plants thrive. But our plants aren’t the only ones that benefit healthwise.

Daylight has been proven to significantly impact on productivity and health. Our eyes and brains simply function better when working, or relaxing in natural light versus artificial lighting and Vitamin D, gained from mainly from exposure to sunlight, is an essential mineral, as this vitamin has numerous benefits to our health. From a more practical standpoint, natural light also reduces the amount of mildew and mold growth inside, keeping the air in our homes and work spaces healthier, more breathable and reducing the risk of asthma and other breathing conditions.

Ultimately healthier and happier staff all equate to a more productive workforce, less prone to sickness leading to a reduced number of sick days staff are likely to take. And of course happier, healthier families live richer, fuller lives, every day.

Aside from all above advantages, Natural light is FREE and living in a country like Australia, we benefit from so many days filled with sunshine than others, so installing skylights can significantly reduce your electricity bills, because there is simply no reason to turn the lights on from dawn to dusk any more.

Read More:

• Skylight installers
• Sydney Skylights
• Skylight installation: DIY versus Professionals

The post Why Natural Light Is So Important To Our Health, Wellbeing and Pocket! appeared first on SolarBright.