Don't wait until it rains to get your skylights checked out!

Our office will be closed on Monday, September 5, 2016, in observance of Labor Day. We will resume our regular hours on Tuesday, September 6, 2016. We hope you are enjoying the beautiful natural light this three day weekend!

How to Clean Your Skylights: Do's and Don'ts

Cleaning Your Skylights Before and After Installation

Before Installation:

1. On the ground, un-box the skylight and remove the labels from the glass.
2. Clean the glass with mild soap and water.
3. Put skylight back in box to move it onto the roof.

After Installation:

1. As needed, about once a year, clean the skylight with mild soap and water.
2. Sweep away any built-up debris around the flashing.

Do Not

1. Do not clean the skylight glass when it is in direct sunlight or on a hot day. Streaks and splotches will be left on the glass and you could be burned.
2. Do not use ammonia to clean the skylight; it can damage the coating on the glass.
3. Do not leave labels on the glass; they will become cemented on by the sun.
4. Do not use a blade or anything abrasive to scrape off old labels or other debris; this could chip the coating on the glass.

If you are unable to get on your roof to clean your skylights, you can call or email us to schedule a service appointment.

707-527-5330

Celebrating Independence Day

From: A Nation’s Strength
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1904)

...Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.

Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly...
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.

In observance of Fourth of July, our office will be closed on 

Monday, July 4, 2016. We will resume our regular hours on 

Tuesday, July 5, 2016. 

Upgrade Your Home with Clean Energy Financing

Save money and increase your property value with energy efficient upgrades, financed by your local PACE Program.

PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Programs provide financing for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water efficiency improvements for homeowners. Many counties in California have at least one program, and some have two. You can visit the program websites to see if your home is eligible for financing.

Program Perks:

• Loans are not based on credit scores
• No application fee
• Apply Online
• Pay back through property taxes
• If you sell your home, the loan may be able to transfer to the new owner
• Minimum project size is $5,000 with no maximum

VELUX SUN TUNNELs, VELUX Skylights, and SunRise Solar Attic Fans fall under the energy efficiency improvement category, so the installation of these products is eligible for financing through your city's program.

Sonoma County - SCEIP and CaliforniaFIRST

Napa County - CaliforniaFIRST and HERO

Marin County - CaliforniaFIRST

Solano County - CaliforniaFIRST and HERO

SCEIP (Sonoma County Energy Independence Program)

Check it out here.

CaliforniaFIRST

Check it out here.

HERO Program - Renovate America

(Home Energy Renovation Opportunity)

Check it out here.

We Remember

We remember those who have served, this Memorial Day. 

“We who are left, how shall we look again
Happily on the sun or feel the rain
Without remembering how they who went
Ungrudgingly and spent
Their lives for us loved, too, the sun and rain?”
-Wilfrid Wilson Gibson

The Naturalight Solar office will be closed Friday, May 27 through Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day. 

Happy Mother's Day

Mother’s love is deeper than ocean,
Mother’s lesson is bigger than the sky,
Mother’s lap is more comfortable than the warm bed,
Mother’s tale is better than the best novel on this earth,
Mother’s picture is more beautiful than a fascinating scenery,
Mother’s blessings are more powerful than the thousands of seas,
Mother’s shade is cooler than the shade of heavy laden trees,
Mother’s light is brighter than the sun...

~ Unknown

Return some of that bright light to mom this Mother's Day with the gift of a VELUX SUN TUNNEL. Bring refreshing daylight into any dark room so mom doesn't need to turn on the lights to read a book, work on a project, or watch you make her dinner in the kitchen. 

Get an Estimate

Turn Off the Lights for Earth Day

Turn Off the Lights.

Turn On the Sun.

Reduce your carbon footprint for Earth Day by adding a VELUX SUN TUNNEL or VELUX Skylight to your home. 

Celebrate Spring with Free Sunlight

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'"

~Robin Williams

Feel Good This Spring

(and all year round)

When the sun starts shining, and the weather warms up, we start getting that spring cleaning itch. Open the windows! Air out the rooms! Let in the sun!

There are reasons we are in a better mood when the sun is shining:

Moderate Sunlight is critical for our health and well being.

Sunlight helps us:

• Create vitamin D, which helps us process and absorb some vitamins and minerals
• Regulate our waking and sleeping patterns
• Help regulate blood pressure and glucose levels
• Think more clearly

There's an easy way to bring more sunlight into your home all year round. 

The VELUX SUN TUNNEL is the economical way to get full spectrum light into your home. Each tube installs in about 2 hours. Full spectrum light in your home can: Help to keep your eyes healthy Provide safer, well lit rooms Show the true colors of furniture and paintings (without fading them) Improve your mood Improve your mental clarity

Take a look at these before and after photos of this windowless hall:

No more turning on yellow tinted lights. Get healthy, full spectrum 

light without using electricity during the day.

Call us today to find out more about bringing daylight into your home:

707-527-5330

What are SUN TUNNEL Skylights?

A VELUX SUN TUNNEL Skylight is a device that delivers sunlight from the roof into a room that is otherwise dark or under-lit from lack of windows, windows that face a northerly direction, or are shadowed by trees or other buildings. VELUX SUN TUNNEL Skylights make it possible to light these dark spaces during the day without using electricity.

The Dome:
Installed on the roof, the VELUX SUN TUNNEL dome is made of durable acrylic. It is designed to collect as much light as possible from the sky and transmit it into the tube. The dome is fastened to the flashing with metal screws to withstand the elements.

The Flashing:
The VELUX SUN TUNNEL comes with a seamless, one-piece metal flashing for a waterproof roof seal.

The Tube:
The VELUX SUN TUNNEL Rigid Tube is made of highly reflective silver coated aluminum; it is 98% reflective. The tube can be installed straight down from roof to ceiling, or, by using adjustable elbow sections, it can be angled to accommodate obstacles or to place the dome in the most effective location on the roof and still reach the desired location in the room. The tubes can extend as long as 20 feet from the roof to the ceiling.

 

The Diffuser:

The diffuser and trim ring assembly is installed in the ceiling and can accommodate either a flat or cathedral ceiling of any material. The diffuser is a disc made of dual glazed acrylic that retains heat inside your home in winter and keeps heat out in summer. It comes in three styles: Frosted (standard), Fresnel, or Prismatic. There is also the option of the Decorative diffuser, which looks much like a dome light fixture. 

Optional Light Kit: The addition of an electric light kit allows VELUX SUN TUNNEL Skylights to be installed in place of an existing electric light for night time use. 

For more detailed information and answers to common questions, check out our Guide to Tubular Daylighting Devices. 

How to Remove the Trim Ring on a VELUX SUN TUNNEL Skylight

Most of the time you won't need to remove the trim ring once it is installed, but there are a few instances when you might want to know how. Perhaps you want to clean inside the diffuser, or change out your diffuser for a different style, or you want to protect the trim ring when re-painting the ceiling, or maybe you need to change out the light bulb on your light kit.

The trim ring clips into place on the ceiling assembly, so you will need to rotate the trim ring counter-clockwise until the clips line up, and then you will be able to gently pull the trim ring down. Under the trim ring, there are tabs that hold the diffuser and gasket in place. Twist the tabs out of the way to release the diffuser and gasket so you can have access to the inside of the tube and the light kit if you have one. 

When putting the trim ring back in place, make sure the gasket around the diffuser is not sticking out in places (if it is, just push it back into place), then line up the clips, and twist the trim ring clockwise until it is snug. 

Here is a short video that demonstrates removing the trim ring and gasket:

Replacing an Old, Bubble Skylight

Why replace an old, bubble skylight with a new VELUX Solar Powered "Fresh Air" Skylight?

Sunlight, with a Side of Chocolate

Our customers light up our life, 

so we'd like to share something sweet:

Free Candy

With every VELUX SUN TUNNEL installed, 

we'll give you a gift certificate for one pound of See's Candies.

Call by Monday, February 15th to schedule your installation

and reserve your free candy certificate(s).

Call 707.527.5330 or Get a Free Estimate 

February: Month of Love and Light!

Most of us know February 2nd as Groundhog Day, a beloved American tradition where we wait to see if a groundhog, most notably, Punxsutawney Phil, emerges from his burrow to tell us know how long winter will last. This tradition has it roots in another festival, celebrated by many other cultures around the world. February 2nd marks the mid-point between Winter Solstice (the day when there is the least daylight hours of the year) and the Spring Equinox.  Known by many names, the Festival of Light marks the day when some of the first seasonal changes from winter to spring can be observed; like the first buds of leaves on the trees, and the first blades of grass emerging.  As the daylight lengthens and we emerge from our winter selves, we can use this time to be more bold, productive, and to enact positive change in our own lives and in our communities.

Here at Naturalight Solar we are feeling renewed
and invigorated for 2016 and we hope that you are too!

Let us know if we can help to brighten your life: 707-527-5330

Rainy Season is the Best Time to Install a Skylight

When you install a new skylight during the rainy season, you get an immediate "rain test" of your VELUX Skylights or SUN TUNNELS. 

Right away you will have the peace of mind that your skylight is waterproof.