Solar tube lighting is becoming famous. The primary reason for it becoming famous is because of the use of solar energy.
However, it is essential to take into account the drawbacks to solar tube lighting as well. Only when you can consider the disadvantages can you understand whether this type of lighting is perfect for you or not.
What are the drawbacks to solar tube lighting?
The drawbacks of such lighting are quite a few, like it’s not appropriate for every home, limited design options, the usability of one fuel source, and so on.
There are 9 such drawbacks. I will cover these 9 drawbacks below. Once you go through these drawbacks, you can understand whether it is worth it to go with this solar tube lighting or not.
1. Not appropriate for every home:
The installation of solar tube lighting is not that simple. It depends on the type of roof which you have in your house. Only when your roof has a slope ranging from 15° to 60° will you be able to use solar tube lighting. If it is much deeper than that or completely flat, you will not install this light.
That is why you will have to call an electrician 1st to find out whether these lights are compatible with your home or not. Only when they are compatible can you go ahead with it.
Even if you install them after discovering incompatibility, they will not charge appropriately. It means that the lights will not work at all.
This is, however, not the only drawback. There is another one.
2. Limited design options:
When you’re opting for a light for your home, you have to, of course, look at the aesthetics of the lights as well. Only when the aesthetics are appropriate can you go ahead and install them in your home.
Solar tombs themselves are relatively compact. They will not factor in the aesthetics of your room or your home in any way.
However, the lights that will be visible from your room do not provide you with many choices. There are hardly any aesthetic color options available. That is why, if it does not go well with the decor of your room, you have no option when you’re going with this lighting.
It is another reason why you need to think about such lighting twice before you install this lighting.
3. Only one fuel source:
You might think that a single source of your like solar energy, is good enough. However, you need to understand that even on days when there is inappropriate sunlight or excessive clouds, you will not be able to use any other energy.
On those days, enough solar electricity will not be generated. In that case, you will not be able to use such lights throughout the night. Especially after the sunset, you will not be able to use such lights.
You cannot directly connect them to the grid either. It means that on such days, you cannot use these lights.
4. Takes up a lot of space:
Solar tube lighting requires space not just for the lighting but also for the solar tubes. On the roof as well, there will be photovoltaic cells which will be installed.
It means that space is needed through the roof. Overall, the amount of space needed for solar tube lighting is much higher than ordinary lighting.
If you want to install multiple lights, the amount of space you will need will be much higher.
That is why; space which such a light needs is another reason why it is not that advantageous to go with this lighting.
5. No ventilation:
Such lighting will take up space inside the roof. The problem is that normally, there is a ventilation system inside your roof. That can be tapped as well.
However, once you are going with solar tube lighting, you will not be able to install a ventilation system, or you want to install the ducts.
It means that you will not be able to maintain the temperature and comfortable conditions in your room.
Are you willing to adjust on that?
You need to think about this before you go with solar tube lighting.
6. Noisy:
When you look at the construction of solar tube lighting, you will realize that it consists of aluminum reflectors. The job of aluminum reflectors is to reflect the light on the photovoltaic cell. That way, more solar electricity will be generated.
The problem is that the aluminum reflectors make a lot of noise in windy conditions.
Since you are going to install multiple such lights, the sound which will be generated on windy days is pretty high.
It means that there will be a continuous disturbance in your home if you’re installing multiple such lights. You have to take into account this topic and then decide about solar tube lighting.
7. Require dimmer switches:
How are you going to control the light output of such lights?
You will need additional dimmer switches. You have to incorporate these switches with the lights itself. Since you are dealing with multiple lights, you might have to hire an electrician as well. This can be an expensive proposition.
Only when you’re willing to spend that extra money can you go with such lights.
8. Can condense water:
The aluminum material has another disadvantage. When you look at the properties of aluminum material, you will realize that it is an excellent conductor of heat.
Not only that, it suffers from condensation as well. It means that if you live in an area that has high humidity, it can lead to high water condensation. Water condensation will require proper drainage. Since it is in the vicinity of the light, it can damage the light and the aluminum tube.
The only solution to this problem is to use proper insulation. However, such insulation is quite expensive. That is why, if you want to avoid this problem, once again you will have to spend extra money.
It is another drawback of solar tube lighting.
9. Limited durability:
The photovoltaic cells and solar tube lighting, are exposed to the elements of weather on the roof.
Since these parts are exposed to weather elements, the wear and tear are also on the higher side. They can suffer from hailstorms, rainfall, high temperature, and so on.
That is why the durability of these lights as low as compared to LED lights.
Thus, instead of directly going with solar tube lighting, it is a good idea to consider these drawbacks. Only once you take into account these drawbacks can you make the right decision.
I often blog about various such lights on my site. You can go through my post on solar barn light (here), LED barn lights (here), hue outdoor lights trip (here) to buy lights among these categories.