Go Green for Earth Day with Two New Sun-Powered Products

Harness the sun for Earth Day with these solar-powered products.

VELUX Solar Night Light The new Solar Night Light for the VELUX Sun Tunnel produces constant, low-level light after the sun sets so you can enjoy light day and night, all powered by the sun. The solar night light is convenient for those late night trips to the bathroom or kitchen, it costs nothing to operate, and saves you money on the installation of your new VELUX SUN TUNNEL.  Read More Attic Breeze Solar Attic Fan The new Attic Breeze solar attic fan is designed to maximize airflow while being durable enough to last through harsh weather conditions year after year. With an all metal construction, whisper quiet operation, and completely solar powered, this attic fan is good for the earth, will protect your home from heat and moisture damage, and save you money. Read More Both products qualify for the 30% federal tax credit for the entire project, including materials and installation.    Ready to go green? Click here to request an estimate, or call our office today at 707-527-5330.

VELUX Skylights Make a Fresh and Healthy Home

Watch to see how architect Jeff Day used eight VELUX No Leak Solar Powered "Fresh Air" Skylights to refresh the air inside a southern Illinois home, where two asthma and allergy sufferers live. Built by Oasis Home Construction, the skylights were positioned to maximize the chimney effect: when warm, stale air escapes through open skylights and cool, fresh air is drawn in through lower level windows. In addition to freshening the air inside, the skylights provide ample daylight from above to create a cheerful atmosphere. 

Here's How Often You Should Ventilate Your Bathroom

Original Post by Kat Wiseman for VELUX USA Blog

        It's no secret that bathrooms can get steamy. Where there's steam, there's generally going to be condensation. And where there's condensation, there can eventually be mold and mildew, which is why it's so important to keep the bathroom properly ventilated.

Avoiding Condensation

        Realistically, you should ventilate your bathroom any time steam creates excess moisture in the air. You'll be able to tell it's doing this from the feeling of humidity and condensation on your mirror and other bathroom surfaces. This excess moisture can affect everything from the structural integrity of your bathroom to your family's health. 

        Sometimes, however, getting rid of condensation isn't as simple as flipping a switch to turn on the fan. In some instances, like if you're renting or have a restricted budget, ventilation options can be downright limited. So, read on for a few ways you can eliminate condensation in your bathroom. 

How to Ventilate Your Bathroom

1. Open the window - or skylight! - while bathing or showering. Open windows allow moist air to escape and fresh air to enter. This helps reduce mold or mildew growth. 
2. In a windowless bathroom, leave the door open during and after bathing. If your home has relatively low humidity (below 50%), the air that escapes your bathroom can help increase the overall humidity. If your home is overly humid, remove the excess moisture by opening a window in the room nearest the bathroom. 
3. Use a dehumidifier! Dehumidifiers draw moisture from the air, but many are electric so use them with caution when running water in your bathroom. 

More Ventilation Tips

• Mold thrives in dark spaces. So if you have a window in your bathroom, leave the blinds or curtains open when you're not using it to restrict the growth of mold. 
• You can track the humidity level in your home with a handy-dandy hygrometer, which can be found in most home and garden stores. 
• If you're renovating your bathroom or building a whole new one, it's required in many areas to install a properly sized ventilation system. Check with local authorities and building retailers for an exhaust fan with the right amount of output for the size of your bathroom. 

There's Light at the End of the Sun Tunnel

Written by Katie Cirovic, for VELUX UK Blog, September 6, 2017

The Rayner family used sun tunnels to increase natural light in the hallway of their four bedroom detached home in Northampton.

Freddie Rayner, 69, said his first floor hallway had always been starved of natural light as the space didn’t have any windows and he wasn’t sure what options were open to him. 

He said: “We even considered removing all the walls at the top of the stairs and replacing them with glass door and windows – but it was going to be hugely expensive.”

It was only while holidaying in Spain that he stumbled upon the perfect solution. While staying in a villa on Spain’s south-eastern Costa Blanca, Freddie was intrigued by a light feature in one of the rooms that he would later discover to be a sun tunnel. 

As soon as the plane touched down in the UK, Freddie was on the phone to a VELUX expert to discuss the benefits of having a sun tunnel installed in the hallway above the staircase.

He was told sun tunnels bring natural light in to even the darkest spaces through a specially designed, highly-reflective tunnel that passes from roof to ceiling meaning that you won’t necessarily always have to turn the
lights on.

They work best over small straight runs and the amount of light they direct into a hallway is quite remarkable.

In just 4 weeks, VELUX-recommended installers had positioned two sun tunnels directly above the staircase on the first floor of the Rayner’s family home and the space was forever transformed.

Freddie said: “The transformation is truly amazing. We’ve gone from relying on the reflective power of several strategically placed mirrors which we hoped would maximise the light given off by chandeliers we had to keep switched on throughout the day - to never turning on an electric light during the day again!

“The process of getting the sun tunnels installed was also seamless. From the initial conversation with the VELUX expert to liaising with the installers and then the sun tunnels actually going in – it was a painless process and total value for money. The installers, recommended to us by VELUX did such a clean job – all that was left for us to do was admire the result! 

“Our only regret is not looking into the sun tunnel option sooner. There is absolutely no reason to put up with darkness when VELUX exist in this world!”

Grant Sneddon, product manager at VELUX, added: “The Rayner’s project is a great example of a ‘don’t move, improve’ scenario. You can clearly see the difference in brightness when you look at their hallway before VELUX sun tunnels were installed and after.

“Having to withstand an undesirable, dark living environment can really get a person down and this is a fantastic case for how the limitations of a property can be overcome with one simple, effective modification. A VELUX sun tunnel can be installed anywhere there is 6m or less between your roof and ceiling such as hallways, like the Rayners, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, home offices – the only limit is your imagination!”