People are burning through natural resources at an alarming rate. Every day, we’re doing irreparable damage to the planet. This has lead us to start the “green movement,” and increase our level of sustainable living. Sustainable living is the process of reducing our individual carbon footprints by way of reducing our personal reliance on natural resources. The idea is that this form of living is sustainable for the long-term, whereas the current way our society lives is certainly not. You can increase your level of sustainable living, thereby reducing your carbon footprint, in many ways, including modifying your modes of transportation, reducing your energy consumption, and altering your diet to include more Earth-friendly procurement practices. In the vein of reducing energy consumption, many people are making home improvements that reduce their carbon footprint, and one such improvement is the installation of a solar light tube.
Solar light tubes are a form of light tube that is specifically for the transportation of natural sunlight into parts of the home that might not normally be accessible to sunlight. This is a form of daylighting which is the process of using natural light to light the home so electrical lights can be used less. Light tubes, or light pipes, will allow you to bring daylighting to rooms that are towards the center of your house, that might not have any, or few, windows. For example, if you have a bathroom in the hallway with a small window that is typical of some bathrooms, you can increase the natural light by installing one of these light tubes.
The simplest form of light tube is one which makes use of a tube that has an interior of highly reflective material. This will often be in the form of highly polished metals, which is sometimes treated with a substance that increases it’s reflective properties even further. On the end that is exposed to the sunlight outside, some form of Fresnel lens is mounted in order to gather as much sunlight as possible. This lens gathers large amounts of light and focuses it down the tube. The tube is then run through the attic, crawl space (these are the situations where it’s not possible to install a skylight) and down in through the ceiling of the room requiring daylighting. The end of the tube in the room is then fitted with some form of diffuser. A light diffuser mellows the light and spreads it throughout the room. This prevents spotlighting and direct sunlight exposer.
Solar tube lights are a great way to help the Earth by reducing your reliance on our natural resources. Not only that, but it’s a great way to reduce your own living expenses by decreasing your electric bill. Solar light pipes are not going to make a huge dent in that bill, but it’s a small and easy modification, and if it turns out that you enjoy the process of modifying your house for sustainable living, you might continue to take steps to reduce your carbon footprint.