Year: 2022

Energy Star Rating & NFRC Standards For Skylights

Posted on by SolarBright

Several skylight brands advertise their products with the energy star logo attached, the certification and logo of energy star rating are from USA and is given to any product that can be proven to reduce energy usage.

The logo is used by many certified products and skylights is one of them, The Energy star logo is a registered trademark for USEPA and can only be used for the products that have been tested and certified to the NFRC standards.

Manufacturers that have their products tested to NFRC standards and have proven to have minimum performance requirement can then also apply to participate in the Energy Star scheme.

Consumers in USA can take advantage of the federal tax benefits when installing Energy Star qualified windows, doors, and skylights.

The usage of the energy star logo for skylights products was developed for USA climate and the qualification criteria are in the table below and can be found in the link underneath.

 

 

NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council) is a US based organisation specialised in rating of fenestration products.

NFRC is a voluntary membership body, Manufactures can join NFRC membership to make their products visible to consumers in US.
Products tested to NFRC standards must be physically tested by an NFRC accredit laboratory like Intertek.

SolarBright Maxlight products have been physically tested to NFRC standards and its energy performance confirmed by Intertek. The U-factor & SHGC values of Maxlight skylights exceed qualification criteria set by energy star scheme, however Solarbright has not applied for the energy star program neither has listed its product with NFRC because SolarBright products are not sold in US market.

In our opinion an Energy Star Rating scheme developed for another specific country’s climate is not relevant to Australia’s market and associating its logo with skylight products outside that specific country is wrong, meaningless, and misleading.

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Skylight Warranty – It Is All In The Tube!

Posted on by SolarBright

Most Tubular Skylights Only Have A 10-Year Warranty. MaxLight’s Have 20-Years. Why The Big Difference?

If you are considering brightening your home with tubular skylights, you need to consider that not all skylights are made equal. Most so-called “industry leading” tubular skylights come with only a 10-year warranty for the customer, whereas the MaxLight skylight, designed and manufactured in Australia by SolarBright, offers the industry best 20-year warranty on the tube.

Before we explain why, let’s look at the major components that make up a tubular skylight.

All tubular skylights consist of 4 major components:

Skylight Warranty – It Is All In The Tube!

  • The Dome on the roof to collect the light for the skylight.
  • The Roof Flashing that the dome is attached to. The flashing is also attached to the roof and creates a watertight seal for the skylight.
  • The Tube that reflects the collected light down the skylight.
  • The Diffusor (or lens) in the ceiling of the room to deliver and spread the light through the room.

MaxLight Tubes Vs Laminated Tubes

Why is there this major difference in warranties between skylight brands? The answer is all in the skylight tube. Specifically laminated tubes vs the MaxLight highly polished aluminum tube.

The tubes in tubular skylights need to be highly reflective to effectively “beam” sunshine light down the tube through your roof to brighten the room they are installed in. While most skylight brands use laminated tubes, MaxLight skylights use an aluminium tube with a super reflective anodised surface inside the tube to reflect the light through.

Skylight Warranty – It Is All In The Tube!MaxLight Tubular Skylights In a Dining Area

The tubes in laminated skylights are made of aluminium, just like the MaxLight tube – however there is one critical difference. On the inside of the tube they have a laminated plastic reflective coating applied to increase the light reflectivity of the tube. This reflective coating initially offers a small gain in light reflectivity, however from the day of installation the laminated reflective coating begins to deteriorate.

With continued exposure to the ultra-violet rays in sunlight this plastic laminated coating degrades, and the skylight begins to reflect less light into the room. The coating can also delaminate, peeling away from the aluminium tube altogether. This has a major effect on the skylight performance, decreasing the reflectivity of the tube which effects the amount of light coming through to the room.

With MaxLight skylights there is zero chance of delamination as there is no plastic laminated coating. The anodised tube performance does not suffer any damage from the UV light in sunshine. The tube has a reflectivity rating of 98% and performs over its 20-year warranted life time with only minimal degradation.

The benefits to the customer? Peace of mind with double the warranty. You get better performance over time with none of the degradation that happens with a laminated coating on the tube. Who would have thought that some skylight tubes degrade with exposure to the light they are designed to bring into your home?

Well, that’s why they only have a 10-year warranty!

Click Here to Visit the MaxLight Skylight Page

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Tubular Skylights And Traditional Skylights – What Is The Difference?

Posted on by SolarBright

When you want some more natural light in your home, skylights are a great option. But which is better? Tubular skylights or more traditional skylights?

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!

Creating The Greenest Home On The Block

Posted on by SolarBright

You’ll need all the energy you can get to make it through the day. When it comes to your home, it’s all about cutting back. Being a green-minded homeowner, you already know and exercise some of the basics, including keeping the thermostat a bit lower, using energy-saving light bulbs and unplugging appliances when not in use. These small fixes are great ways to start, but there are other activities that can really make a difference and ensure your home runs on less fuel.

Start With A Home Energy Audit

First things first, you need to know exactly where you can conserve energy. By getting an energy audit, you’ll get an analysis on how much energy you’re saving, where you can conserve, and how much you’ll save in the long run. If you’re thinking of a major home improvement, search for a local and certified professional who can assess your needs.

Save Up To 80% Of Your Heating Energy Cost With Solar Hot Water

Water accounts for an estimated 35% of the energy bill if you have an electric hot water system. Save on this cost by replacing your system with an Edwards Roof Top Frost Free System. This uses the highly efficient heat transferring properties of Glycol, a special anti-freeze fluid, to transfer the absorbed energy to heat water indirectly. Not only does this save on home energy costs, but it is also made from stainless steel, making the systems virtually maintenance-free and last a lifetime.

Reduce Air Conditioning Costs With Room Ventilation

Reduce air conditioning running costs, prevent mould in winter, and cool your home in summer with Room Ventilation. It will operate to ventilate the room when the sun shines on the solar panels. This unit is ideal to ventilate any room. This also prevents stale air smell in rooms and promotes fresh air circulation. The ventilation assists room dampness and mould problems, and eliminates cooking smells and fumes in kitchen spaces.

Bring Daylight Into Your Home With Skylights

Bring soft, natural daylight into any room in your house, even in small spaces, with Skylights. These high-grade product harnesses natural light, allowing you to reduce daily energy consumption. These skylights are easy to install and require little to no maintenance. We even have skylight installers who are more than glad to help.

With all these solutions available, you can be more energy efficient while helping conserve the environment. Contact us for more information on how we can assist you in refurbishing the greenest home on your block.

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Skylights Take Off In Sydney

Posted on by SolarBright

The architectural crowds, competing for space in Sydney’s red-hot housing and urban design industries, are often used as a litmus test for what is trending with new home builders today. They are sensitive to the needs and demands of their clients, and they need to be, to reach such a position as theirs as the gatekeeper of new housing trends.

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.

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Solar Panel Costs And Solar System Prices

Posted on by SolarBright

Switching to solar is a terrific idea for most Australians. You’ll save money on electricity bills, there are generous government subsidies available, and most standard systems pay for themselves in around 3 years. Even better, you’re making a positive contribution to the environment. However, that’s not to say you’re guaranteed to have trouble-free solar panels.

Even the very best and most reliable brands can be subject to damage, improper installation and general degradation. Improper installation is best avoided by not choosing the cheapest systems offered. The good news is that most problems with correctly installed solar panels in Australia can be solved relatively easily if you know what to look for.

Dirt And Grime

One of the most common reasons that your solar panels aren’t performing efficiently as they should is a build-up of dirt or grime. Like any item that’s left outdoors, solar panels are subject to dust, dirt and other debris gathering on them. This can affect the efficiency of your panels.

Common issues include dust, bird droppings, leaves and ash from nearby fires. It’s recommended that your solar panels are cleaned at least once every 12 months, if not more frequently. Rain does a lot of the work for you, but it never hurts to give them a clean every now and again. If you can access your solar panels, just use warm, soapy water without harsh chemicals. This is more than enough to clean them.

Flat roof mounted panels this is especially important. Being flat they naturally collect more grime and this can effect the output of the system if they are not cleaned.

If you can’t reach your panels, you can use a hose from the ground if that’s practical. Otherwise, contact your installer because it’s likely they offer a cleaning service or be able to recommend one they know.

Birds

Believe it or not, birds can cause havoc with solar panels if left unchecked. If your solar panels are mounted on the roof, birds can build nests underneath them. This isn’t a problem in itself, but if birds are near your panels regularly, they’re likely to scratch them or even damage the wiring. If you notice birds or nests, it’s a good idea to call a pest control expert.

Alternatively, you can take precautionary measures by installing mesh wire or other forms of bird deterrent. This is easiest done at installation time. There are ways to prevent birds from nesting under our solar panels without causing harm to them.

Potential Induced Degradation

If you’ve noticed a significant decrease in the amount of electricity your solar panels are producing, it could be down to the PID effect, or Potential Induced Degradation.

This means you’ve got a difference in voltage between the solar panel and the earthing, and this causes a partial voltage discharge. Basically, you’re losing an amount of voltage, and it’s also potentially damaging the long-term effectiveness of your panels.

Because this issue isn’t obvious to the naked eye, you’ll need to call your trusted solar professionals to inspect the problem for you

Issues With Your Inverter

Solar inverters have the crucial task of converting direct current (DC) energy from your solar panels to alternating current (AC) energy that your home uses. As a vital part of the system, you’ll certainly notice if there is a problem.

Inverter technology has improved over the years, however, inverters still usually don’t last as long as your panels. You may find you need to replace the inverter in around 15 years, rather than the 25 years that your solar panels are expected to last.

The great thing is that most modern inverters have very clear displays where you can see the errors that are occurring. Always check the error messages against your user manual, and it should be quite easy to work out what’s going wrong. One of the most common inverter problems is following a blackout; the breaker may be automatically turned to the OFF position, so always check this first.

All good  inverters sold today come with a monitoring app that can be set up on your phone so you can monitor the production levels of the system. You can set the app up to send you an alert if there is an issue with the inverter.

Looking For Solar Panel Experts?

If you’re looking for high-quality solar panel installation in Sydney, then look no further. SolarBright is here to take care of all your solar needs, including solar panels, inverter and battery installation and solar hot water systems. We offer a full set of solar services for all residential and commercial properties. To find out how much you can save by making the switch to solar, contact the friendly team at SolarBright today for your free consultation.