Masterclass

Clearly the most efficient solution is to optimise the use of natural daylight. It’s free, easily accessible and in the UK available to a greater or lesser extent 365 days of the year. Where there is access to windows, this is easy - letting daylight in and allowing people to take advantage of the numerous benefits that being in natural light brings. But where internal rooms are being used, windows are obviously not an option. This is where tubular daylighting systems are increasingly being seen as a practical way to cut down the use of energy by piping in natural light. Simple and straightforward to install they result in minimal energy loss and require virtually no cleaning or maintenance.

So while you may be able to install the flexible products a little quicker, you are highly likely to end up with a customer whose room is still not as well lit as you or they would have liked. It has been proved that rigid tubes can transfer up to 10 times more light than flexible duct systems. So the flexible duct ‘solution’ often results in dissatisfaction all round. Installation of a rigid tube system can result in less work and less aggravation for all concerned.

You should also look out for products that include active daylight harvesting features. Essentially this means that the dome should have the ability to bend light down the reflective tube. This is particularly important when the sun is low in the sky so that the daylight can be captured for as many hours of the day as possible.

In summary, when the sole purpose of these systems is to optimise the use of daylight to illuminate internal spaces as efficiently as possible, it is clear that to use anything other than a material which has been proved to be the most effective is simply not going to produce the desired results. Flexible systems, whilst marginally easier to install, simply do not do what Tubular Daylighting Systems are meant to.

Of course access to the roof is required to fit the flashing kit and the dome so we suggest you visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/roof.htm and take note of the relevant suggestions before commencing work.