Hello My name is Christine and I am the owner of Brighter Homes, the local Solatube Premier Dealership. I would be happy to set a time to discuss the features and benefits of a Solatube Daylighting System in detail. In the meantime I did want to clarify the inaccurate information that was posted in response to your question. I have never had a customer complaint that either the Effect Lens or the Diffuser discolor over time; furthermore, I called Solatube International and was told they do not have a problem with discoloration of the lens. Next, considering the climate in Virginia there should not be a problem with condensation however Solatube Daylighting Systems are designed to allow some air transfer from the interior of the system to the exterior. This allows moist air to escape, while also enabling any droplets of water, which may have formed on the dome, to escape via weep holes in the dome. Solatube Daylighting Systems is by far the best product on the market with four patents on the technology that the competition does not have. Our product has patents on Spectralight Infinity Tubing that is 99.7% highly relective, the LightTracker Reflector inside the dome, the Raybender technology of the dome and the Dual Lens Array. Please check out our website for a more complete discussion of the patented technology that Solatube Daylighting Systems have. Please do not hesitate to call me for more information at 460-0703 Here is a link that might be useful: Hampton Roads Daylight

We've got two Velux Sun-Tunnels both 14". We chose Velux because the style blended in well with the roofing since they were going on the front of our house. One's in a small powder room and the other a utility room. They have been great. We got the rigid tubing and had to use two extensions with each, but the lighting is still very very good. Occasionally we get a bug on the lens (at the ceiling area) but it's easy to access to get it out. We had a small leak in one at the first rainfall right after install due to contractor error but he fixed it immediately and we've had no problems since. We recently replaced our asphalt shingles with steel and the roofer was able to keep the sun tunnels in place.

gregoryandkristin both good and bad. Most people think of placement when they're worried that they'll get too much sun in the afternoon, but there are other factors to consider too. The good skylight is installed on a west sloping part of the roof that gets bright sun. It looks great and we love it (it has blinds that we use occasionally, we sprang for the remote control kind, which was worth it). The two bad skylights were installed on a part of the roof where they're in full shade most of the day. (Our house is a split level, so the shade comes from the upper story.) As a result, the light coming in is weak and weird, kind of like having a really dim fluorescent light. It's a bit better in the summer when the angle of the sun is different, but unfortunately I wanted these skylights to help make the rooms brighter in the winter. It was an extremely disappointing and expensive mistake. If I had known better, I could have mitigated it by choosing a larger size skylight and having them installed off-center in the room. That would have put them more out of the shade, but also the light would have bounced down one wall. Reflecting off the wall would have subtly amplified the light into the room, if that makes sense. So, when you plan skylights, size and placement is extremely important. If you're in doubt, get a a lighting architect who can study the sun patterns and do virtual modeling for you.

Another yes. At 30 years the current units are on borrowed time. Its better to install seamlessly with the new roof rather than have to hack into to that new roof in a few years... Especially if you opt for metal, but for asphalt as well.