Common Misconceptions about Skylights Explained

Skylights are a popular feature in many homes around New Zealand, but a lot of people are still concerned by the many misconceptions out there about them. In this blog, we aim to break down these misconceptions, and reveal the truth about skylights in New Zealand homes.
Misconception: Skylights are a Hassle to Install
This is a commonly held misconception, mainly because a typical skylight is just one huge hole in your ceiling that is covered with a window. That is not something that sounds easy to install, so this misconception is true in that sense, but not all skylights are the same design. It can be easy to forget to account for modern technology, but skylights have progressed significantly.
Hometech’s Solatube daylighting system is not just a window in your ceiling – it’s a daylighting system consisting of a circular tube about the size of your average light fixture, which captures daylight through a dome which protrudes out of the roof, and gets distributed down to your room. This type of skylight only requires a small amount of ceiling space, and so is much easier to install.
What’s more, when you purchase a Hometech Solatube skylight, you don’t even have to install it yourself. A Certified Licensed Installer will visit your home at your convenience and install your daylighting system in just a few hours. They can even provide same day skylight installation in some cases!
Misconception: Skylights Let in Too Much Early Morning Light
It’s no surprise people would be opposed to putting in a skylight, as there are only a very select amount of people who enjoy being woken up before their alarm by the bright light of the sun. Thankfully, installing a Solatube skylight doesn’t have to mean early morning disruptions at all. With a daylight dimmer attached to a Solatube skylight, the user is able to control the amount of light received from it with just the flick of a switch, just light, without the draw on your power bill!
Misconception: Skylights Turn Your Home into an Oven
It is true that too much light can overheat your home on those boiling hot summer days when it comes through your regular glassed windows, but Solatube skylights are a little different. Solatube technology is advanced to the point that it captures the maximum amount of light and transfers it into your home, while minimising the amount of heat that transfers along with it. The insulation properties are similar to having double glazed windows, so you don’t need to worry about any temperature changes at all!
Misconception: Skylights are Dimmer than Electric Lights
It’s easy to assume that artificial light would be more effective than light that occurs naturally, especially in a country where sunny weather is so unpredictable. With Solatube skylights, natural daylighting is concentrated by the reflective technology installed within the tubes. These skylights have the technology to collect the maximum possible light from outside, so that the light that gets projected into your home is consistently bright.
It can also be easy to be concerned about lighting at night, when there really is no sun and most likely when you need light in your home the most. Solatube Daylighting Systems even have a solution for that! With a Smart LED Daylighting kit, you can have SunSense technology, which seamlessly transitions from daylight to LED’s at night automatically. You can even include an occupancy sensor with this kit, so that your lights turn on at night as soon as you walk into a room.
Install a Solatube Skylight Today
So, there you have it, all your common misconceptions about skylights debunked! If you still aren’t convinced about installing skylights for your home, talk to the team at Hometech today to let us convince you of all the added benefits a skylight can add to yours and your family’s lives.

Get in touch with Refresh to discuss your home renovation project

If you would like to discuss options and ideas for your renovation project, please use the enquiry form on this page to provide us with your contact details. We will get in touch with you at a time that suits you to discuss your project. If you would like to provide us with more information about your project, we have a more comprehensive enquiry form on our "Get in touch" page too.
*All information is believed to be true at time of publishing and is subject to change