Ahoy! Roof Experts

[George Godwin]

"There is no heat loss in the winter nor heat gain in the summer with a Sun Tube.".

First a Disclaimer: I do not own shares in any Sun Tube company and I am not an energy expert nor an energy engineer. Nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night for the free morning donuts and coffee.

Some Sun Tube manufacturers make a claim that their products are largely neutral in terms of energy gain or loss in winter and summer while others make statements along that line when comparing them to regular skylights that have a shaft going up to the roof. Sun Tubes appear to be designed to avoid air leakage at the ceiling and at the roof and insulation can be used around the pipe in the attic. To bring light into a home does have some risks related to poor installation be it a window or a sun tube.

My comments were directed at comparing the Sun Tube to a Belvedere Skylight which would have the worst energy performance of the three options. I commented on this element in Chris' images due to the fact that we have a large builder in our area offering a Belvedere skylight in one of their lakeside models which is why I commented in the first place.

I don't think much of the Belvedere option where it creates a wide shaft from the roof into the home. If one wants the architectural feature of the roof adornment which does have it charm, then one can install it on the roof and then use a Sun Tube to bring light into the home.

Of course, the other option is to have dark spaces in the home and use electric lights to light them in the daytime. I personally dislike any space where an electric light is required in the daytime and so I try to eliminate that darkness.