The Tribune

By JOSHUA KEY

Does your home have dark spaces that you wish were brighter? Are you tired of turning on lights during the day? Would you like to add more light to your office while reducing your electricity bill?

One solution for this in the past has been skylights – wide, square holes cut in the roof to allow light in. Like any solution, it has benefits and disadvantages. Traditional skylights can look beautiful, and the natural light they provide is healthy. However, in our tropical Bahamian climate, the heat they allow into the living space can be intense. This, in turn, can cause electricity bills to soar, especially when the air conditioner fights against our summer sun.

Traditional skylights are not effective solutions for buildings with multiple storeys. It is not reasonable to cut an opening to the roof above every room on every storey. For Bahamian homes or businesses where a traditional skylight is very difficult to incorporate into the structure, whether single-storey or multi-storey, a practical solution is a solar skylight.

The more technical term for a solar skylight is a solar-powered natural lighting fixture. This solution looks like a skylight to anybody else, but the advantage is this: It does not need a big hole in the roof to give you light. How does it work? It is as easy as 1-2-3:

Step 1: Starting out on the roof, a simply-installed solar panel collects the sun’s energy, even on cloudy days, and converts it into safe, low-voltage DC power.

Step 2: The power is then transferred down through your attic using durable interconnect cabling. A small hole, one-quarter inch in diameter, is all that is needed in the roof. This means there is no opening for leaks or to let the sun radiate heat into your home or business, thereby saving you money on air conditioning.

Step 3: The solar powered natural light fixture is installed just like any other light fixture, and in any location. It provides simulated natural sunlight into your home or office, completely powered by the sun.

High quality solar skylights, such as the Solaro Day, do not give off just any light. They provide simulated natural, healthy sunlight. For homes, that creates bright, happy spaces with the same full spectrum as sunlight. Would you like to brighten up your kitchen, bedroom or hallway while keeping the electricity bill down? This system even filters out harmful sun wavelengths that could otherwise damage your furniture.

For stores, solar skylights can improve the appearance of your products by clearly displaying the true nature of colours. You will want to seek out solar skylights that offer higher colour rendering, brighter output and longer life spans than basic LEDs. In offices, this can make you and your workforce feel more alert and focused, while helping to reduce your light bills.

With a beautiful appearance and strong warranty, solar skylights are a great addition to any home or business. You even get to experience the sun up, sun down, and cloud movement inside - the same as with a traditional skylight.

With the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) poised to make Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) give us a financial credit for grid-tied solar systems (according to their December plan), your solar skylights can work well with your larger solar system to save you money.

Did you ever want an old-style skylight, but thought it might not be for you? Are you tired of turning on lights during the day? Then pick a truly green product that is 100 per cent free to operate. Let a solar skylight brighten your life while saving you money.

• NB: Joshua Key is general manager for SuperGreen Solutions Bahamas, located on Wulff Road next to FYP. SuperGreen Solutions is one of the premier advisors, suppliers and installers of domestic and commercial energy efficient solutions.