Sun Tunnels

[lookoveryourshouldernow]

A little while back I was asking about Sun Tunnels as we had a very very dark Hall area... We needed lights on during the day - anyway we took the plunge and had two installed - FANTASTIC .... but not sure how well they will work during the winter months...

Also not sure whether we will be picking up stray insects that have managed to inflitrate the tubes either.. but all in all very impressed...

[wendybird77]

Thanks for this - am considering an extension which will mean no external windows in our hall. Feel a bit better knowing the sun tunnels work!

[hotflusheskeepmewarm]

Can I be very cheeky and ask you for a ball park figure as to how much it cost you?

I am thinking of them for my dark hall but don't know if I have the leeway in the budget...

Thanks!

[fapl]

We have 2, they are fab. We have had them nearly 4 years. Yes they do get little insects in them, but the cover plate is really easy to remove, it is no worse than tiny dead insects you get in a normal light fitting.

We have solar tube brand, and from memory it cost a bit under £600 for both the fittings themselves, with electric lights in them and the amount of tube required (we didn't need a lot of tube). We had it installed as part of a bigger building project so couldn't comment on installation cost.

[fossil97]

I would budget about £300 each - ours don't have lights in but the tubes are quite long, we needed extension pieces.

I like the way the moonlight shines down them at night as well.

[CointreauVersial]

They are really good - my dad has them above his staircase.

[LittenTree]

We used these in Australia and they were fab. We needed them because many Aus homes are large bungalows with deep verandas so the middle of the interior can be quite gloomy. We were worried about the heat getting in, too (won't be an issue here, will it? ) but no problem. I second the thing about moonlight (an early nice memory is cuddling an awake DS2, aged 16 or so months, in the dark of the night, sitting on the sofa being bathed in soft moonlight, both of us quiet and contemplating...); and night time thunderstorms (subtropics) were good with the lighting flashing through the tube!

Can I ask what diameter people have used? We want to go mad in our current 2 bedroom house and put one through the first floor to illuminate the middle of the downstairs dining/living room, a long front to back room, so we will duct the tube through a built in wardrobe in our bedroom but don't want it to take up too much space but still be big enough to be effective.

[LittenTree]

Aged 16 months or so, I should have said! Though at 11 he'd still happily cuddle me on a sleepless night in the dark as he's a softie!