Skylight Brands

 

Table of Contents

Fakro

Solatube

Skydome

Keylite

Atlite

Velux

Natural Lighting

 

If you’re looking to install a skylight in your home, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the choice on offer. There are so many skylight brands out there that it can be difficult to decide which best suits your needs and offer the best value. More specifically, which brands make the type of skylight that matches your vision for your home, budget, and the type of roof you have.

In an effort to aid your decision, this article briefly explores the leading skylight brands and the types of skylight they manufacture.

 

Fakro

Established in 1991 and headquartered in Poland, Fakro is one of the fastest-growing skylight brands in the world. Fakro has a presence in the massive American, Chinese, and Russian markets, as well as all over Australia. They’re known for being an innovative company who are always seeking to improve the design, functionality, and overall quality of their skylights. Fakro specialise in glass skylights, which, through their use of Low-E glass, filter infrared and UV rays. This allows the maximum amount of light into the space, without the added heat which keeps the temperature down and helps you save on your energy bills. The Key characteristics of Fakro skylights include:

• Thermal Insulation: From Low-E glass
• Durability: Skylights are made from high-quality materials. As well as their glass, they use high-quality timber is selected when building our windows, which is free of knots and other imperfections.
• Simple installation
• Unique designs

Types of Fakro Skylights

• Deck-mounted skylights – Fixed – Ventilating

  – Manual: Hand or rod operated

  – Solar: Also comes with an insect screen

  – Electric

• Curb-mounted skylights ○ Fixed
•  Light tunnels (tubular skylights)
• Roof hatches

 

Solatube

Solatube are the award-winning company responsible for pioneering tubular daylighting devices (TDDs) – otherwise known as tubular skylights (aka – round skylights, light or sun tunnels). This brand has dedicated more than 25 years to developing top of the range tubular skylights – which they refer to as daylighting systems.

Solatube’s tubular skylights are powered by their Raybender 3000 technology, which features a light tracking reflector and up to 99.7% reflective tube material. One of Solatube’s latest innovations is their premium Brighten Up range which is designed to capture low angle light. This can provide up to 600% more daylight – even in winter. At the same time, they’re designed to reject the high-angle rays that typically occur at midday, which prevents both glare and overheating. As a result, the Brighten Up series has the distinction of being the only Australian-owned tubular skylight to be awarded the prestigious Energy star efficiency rating.

Types of Solatube Skylights

There are three varieties of Solatube’s tubular skylight:

• Econotube: Standard skylight for those on a budget
• Heavenly Intelligent: Premium-quality
• Brighten Up: Their newest range, with 99.7 reflective capability

Each one is available in 250mm (Solatube 160 DS) and 400mm (Solatube 290 DS).

The Solatube 160 DS, meanwhile, is suitable for illuminating small to medium-sized rooms and hallways, such as:

• Bathrooms
• Smaller kitchens (kitchenettes)
• Laundry and utility rooms
• Walk-in wardrobes

The Solatube 290 DS is suitable for illuminating medium to large-sized rooms including:

• Bedrooms
• Living rooms
• Kitchens
• Dining rooms

As well as the quality of skylight and its size, you also have three types of daylighting system to choose from:

• Core Daylighting System: This is the standard system that’s only composed of tubular skylights
• Daylight Control System: This features a lens that allows you to control how much light enters the room. This extends to closing the lens completely, if you want the room to be dark.
• Nightlight Technology: This system collects solar power during the day and provides a soft, glowing light at night time via high-quality LED lights.

Lastly, you also have several decorative lighting fixtures to choose from, including circular and square styles.

 

Skydome

Founded in 1976, Skydome is one of the premier Australian skylight brands. They offer a large assortment of skylights that are suitable for most types of roof, including corrugated, metal deck and tile roofs.

Their skylights are specially designed to handle the Australia’s tough climate and feature Skydome’s proprietary Skyguard technology, which eliminates 99 per cent of UV rays. They also manufacture a range of bushfire-rated skylights which are non-combustible and equipped with 6mm/6.38mm thick safety glass. However, they also offer thicker safety glass, should you require it. Additionally, Skydome offer a variety of glazing options that include single or double glazed, opal, tinted or wired glass.

Skydome is renowned for its involvment in huge, landmark projects across Sydney. This includes the Star City Casino, Darling Harbour, Sydney International Airport, The Olympic Aquatic Centre, the World Square shopping complex and even the Stadium Australia roof, venue for the 2000 Olympic Games.

Types of Skydome Skylights

• Skydome: Their range of standard skylights, which are available in plastic, as well as glass
• Pyramid: One of largest on the skylights on the market, ideal if you want to let a lot of light into a large area.
• Skytubes: Their brand of tubular skylights, available in 250mm and 400mm sizes.
• Circular
• Roof hatches
• Day Ray: This is a hybrid system that collects solar power uses it to power super long-life LEDs (tested for up to 36000 hours)

 

Keylite

Keylite skylights are distinctive for the fact that they’re manufactured in the UK and Ireland – but built specifically for Australian homes. They are renowned for the high-quality materials that their skylights are made from, as well as their innovations in design technology. Their signature Argon-filled double glazing, with Low-E coating, allows for the maximum amount of light into the home whilst blocking 80% of external heat transfer, provides 99% UV protection, and creates a 36db Noise Barrier.

Similarly, Keylite’s skylights feature a thermal collar which is directly integrated into its frame. This ensures full insulation and prevents the build-up of condensation which leads to mould growth and, ultimately, shortens the lifespan of your skylight.

Types of Keylite Skylights

Keylite offers a small and simple range of skylights:

• Fixed
• Ventilating: Both come with detachable flyscreens
  ○ Manual
  ○ Electric: These have rain sensors that close skylight automatically when it starts to rain.

 

Atlite

Atlite has been in business for 50 years and has used the expertise and experience they’ve amassed during this time to develop one of the most interesting and innovative collections of skylights. Their skylights come in 15 different shapes and sizes and their glass is bush fire, hail, cyclone and leak-resistant to withstand the harshest of weather conditions. They are also Australian-owned and made.

Types of Atlite Skylight

In contrast to competing brands like Keylite and Velux, Atlite has large selection of skylights to choose from:

• Sliding Rooflight: A moving skylight for brightening up dark areas
• Energelite: energy efficient, fixed, suitable for all roof pitches
• Skydoor: Provides both light and roof access – often installed above a flight of stairs
• Gazbar system: For large areas – best suited for commercial use
• Circular: Available in double glazing for enhanced thermal efficiency. Available in solar cool evergreen, clear, opal and grey tint
• Pyramid: No limit on size
• Access (roof) hatches
• Domelite and Dayliter: Opaque and plastic – suitable If you only need extra natural light in a room – but no heat (and aren’t worried about aesthetics)
• Solarbright tubelights (tubular skylights): Available in 250mm, 400mm, 500mm & 550mm sizes
• Hybrid solar lighting device: Atlite’s Illume system uses multi-crystalline cell solar panels to collect sunlight, even when cloudy, and convert it into low-voltage, simulated daylight.

 

Velux

With over 75 years of experience and sales operations in more than 40 countries around the globe, Velux is one of the most popular skylight brands in the world. In fact, Velux skylights are held in such high esteem that always stocked by other skylight manufacturers.

Now, although Velux is a Danish company, they manufacture skylights that are tailor-made for Australia’s harsh climate. This includes extensive testing for:

• Heat and UV: blocks up to 80% of heat and 99% of UV rays
• Water: Velux skylights are subjected to the same watertightness tests as roof tiles
• Hail: Subjected to the American Solar Collector Impact Test
• Load: Tested with concentrated loads of 110kg on the weakest parts of the skylight
• Bushfire: Passed the Bushfire Attack Level 40 (BAL 40)
• Cyclone tested: Air was then pumped under the skylight to expand it before then sucking it out again. This was repeated over 10,000 times.
• Safety: Fitted with high-performance double glazing with laminated safety glass on the inside.

Types of Velux Skylight

Velux has a selection of skylight for both flat (0 -60 degrees) and pitched (15 – 90 degrees), they include:

• Manual
• Ventilating
  ○ Fixed
  ○ Electric
  ○ Solar
• Sun tunnels (tubular skylights)
  ○ Flexible: When has to be installed around things in attic
  ○ Rigid

 

Natural Lighting

Types of Natural Lighting Skylights

One of their Natural Lighting’s specialities are skylight kits for self-installation. They offer these for a variety of roof types, such as:

• Metal deck
• Corrugated
• Tile

They also offer a select range of skylights

• Fixed: They can be made from glass or opal acrylic
• Tubelights (tubular skylights)

 

Check out our range of skyilghts here.

We hope our overview of some of the top skylight brands has given you a better idea of what’s available to you. Better still, we hope that you’ve received some inspiration for your renovation plans and what you can achieve.

If you have any questions about whether a particular brand of skylight can be installed on your roof or want a better idea how much your vision will cost, get in touch and we’d be happy to give you a free, no-obligation quote.