There are two main ways to bring natural light into a room: tubular skylights and traditional skylights. They solve the same problem – a dark room that needs daylight – but work very differently, and one is usually the clear better fit depending on your space, budget, and goals.
As the company that invented tubular daylighting technology over 30 years ago and installed more than 5 million systems worldwide, we’ve helped homeowners make this exact decision for decades. Here’s how to tell which one is right for you.
It's aging, leaking, or making the room too hot or cold. You're looking to replace it with something that performs better.
There's no skylight there now. You're deciding how to get natural light into the space. The comparison below is for you.
Best for
Closets, hallways, bathrooms, laundry rooms, garages, and any interior room without direct roof access; plus kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms where you want light without heat gain
Rooms directly under the roofline where seeing the sky matters — typically kitchens, living rooms, and primary bedrooms
Reaches interior rooms
Yes — flexible tubing routes around framing, ducting, and attic obstacles
No — requires a direct, unobstructed path to the roof
Installation time
About 2 hours. No framing, drywall, painting, or structural changes
Significantly more involved — a larger roof opening, framing and drywall work, often permits and multiple trades
Thermal performance
Excellent. The tube design blocks most solar heat gain and reduces winter heat loss
Standard skylights transfer significant heat in summer and cold in winter.
Replacing an existing skylight? Our HSE Performance Series substantially improves on this.
View of sky
No. Diffused daylight only
Clear glass: yes.
Acrylic and white glass: no
Leak risk
Very low. Round, seamless dome with zero-seam stamped flashing; debris slides off rather than collecting
Higher. Flat surfaces collect debris and trap water, and multiple flashing seams expand and contract over time
Typical cost
$ (lower)
$$–$$$ (higher, varies by size/glass)
Typical cost installed
$900 – $1,500 depending on size, run length, and accessories
$3,000 – $5,500
Tubular skylights use a rooftop dome to capture sunlight, then channel it through a highly reflective tube directly into the room below. Because the tube can bend and route around obstacles in the attic, they work in spaces a traditional skylight physically can’t reach – closets, hallways, interior bathrooms, laundry rooms.
They install in about 2 hours with no structural modifications, and because there’s no direct glass opening to the outside, they’re virtually leak-proof and let in very little unwanted heat or cold – a real advantage in warm and cold climates.
Best if you want: natural light in a room without a view, minimal installation disruption, and the lowest long-term maintenance/leak risk.
Already have a skylight? We make it perform better.
A traditional skylight gives you something a tubular system can’t: an actual view of the sky. If your home already has one and it’s aging, leaking, or driving your energy bills up, the answer usually isn’t removing it — it’s replacing it with a better unit.
Our HSE Performance Series is built specifically for the weaknesses older skylights develop. Energy Star–rated glass manages heat gain and loss. Advanced flashing and sealing address the leak points that show up as flashing ages and seams work loose.
We also supply Solatube skylights directly through our showrooms for contractors and homeowners handling their own installs.
Best if: you have an existing skylight you want to keep but want it to stop costing you in heat, cold, or leaks.
Do you already have a skylight that's leaking, aging, or making the room uncomfortable?
→ Skylight replacement. Our HSE Performance Series is built for exactly this.
Is the room directly under the roof, and do you want an actual view of the sky?
→ Traditional skylight.
Is it an interior room (such as closet, hallway, bathroom, laundry) with no direct path to the roof?
→ Solatube. It's the only option that physically reaches these spaces.
Do you want the fastest, least disruptive install?
→ Solatube. About two hours, no framing or drywall in most applications.
Is energy efficiency the priority?
→ Solatube. It brings in natural light while minimizing summer heat gain and winter heat loss.
Not sure, or need both?
→ Many homes use both. Solatube in interior rooms, a skylight in the kitchen or living room. A free in-home consultation maps out what each room actually needs.
30+ years pioneering tubular daylighting technology
5 million+ installations worldwide
Certified installation consultants, factory-trained
Essentially, yes. The system is a sealed unit — dome, flashing, tubing, and fixture all have seals that keep out dust and insects. The dome’s shape sheds debris rather than collecting it. And unlike a traditional skylight, there’s no open drywall shaft to clean or repaint.
Yes, two ways.
The Light Add-On Kit turns your daylighting system into a recessed light after dark, so the same fixture works around the clock without adding another hole in your ceiling.
The Solar NightLight is the lower-output option — soft ambient light that runs entirely on energy collected during the day, with no wiring and no switch.
More on accessories on our tubular skylights page.
Our dome technology on your roof captures daylight and channels it down through Spectralight Infinity reflective tubing to a decorative fixture in your ceiling, which spreads the light evenly through the room.
The dome and the 99.7% reflective tubing are what make the system work. A traditional drywall skylight shaft can lose more than half the available light on the way down; the reflective tubing loses very little. It also fits between rafters, so no structural modification is needed.
More on the optics on our technology page.
It’s possible — the system uses a patented fastening and telescoping tube design that largely eliminates the need to get into the attic, and many components arrive pre-assembled. An experienced contractor or a confident DIYer can typically finish in two to four hours.
That said, the majority of our customers go with professional installation. Our installs are performed by Certified Installation Consultants and backed by a 5-year installation warranty — see our warranty page for full terms.
Cost depends on three things: the size of the system, your roof type, and any accessories you add — extension tubes, a Daylight Dimmer, or the Solar NightLight. Every price includes both the product and professional installation by a certified installation consultant.
For current price ranges by product, see our pricing page. For a number specific to your home, schedule a free consultation and we’ll assess your roof and ceiling configuration in person.
We serve San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and Dallas/Fort Worth.
We have showrooms in San Diego and Dallas — please call ahead. Find your nearest location and phone number on our locations page.
All parts carry a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty; electrical components carry 5 years. Professional installations by our Certified Installation Consultants are backed by an additional 5-year installation warranty.
The dome is high-impact acrylic formulated for strength, weather resistance, and clarity. For high-velocity hurricane zones there’s a Shock Inner Dome option. The tubing is puncture-proof aluminum with a UV-protective coating.
Full terms on our warranty page.
That’s attic condensation, not a problem with the Solatube — and it points to inadequate attic ventilation. Wrapping the tube in insulation can reduce the symptom, but it doesn’t fix the underlying issue.
If your attic isn’t moving enough air, a solar attic fan addresses the actual cause.
Condensation happens when warm, moist indoor air meets a cold surface — most often in winter, and usually alongside condensation on windows and doors elsewhere in the house. Cooking, showering, laundry, and humidifiers all contribute, and homes with limited ventilation see it more.
Because the causes sit outside our control, condensation isn’t covered under the manufacturer’s warranty — the same position most window and skylight manufacturers take. But it can usually be reduced. Depending on your situation, a Dome Upgrade Kit, Flashing Insulator, Climate Control Lens, or Severe Climate Glazing can help. Contact us and we’ll take a look. Service calls and parts may carry a charge since this falls outside warranty.
It depends on when your system was installed:
Still deciding? You don't have to figure it out alone.
A free in-home consultation covers both options, room by room, so you get the right skylight for every space — not just a one-size-fits-all answer.
Add Natural Light & Fresh Air to Your Home
No rebate forms. No waiting. The discount is applied immediately!
Schedule Free Consultation Today
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We’ll reach out within 24 business hours.
Add Natural Light & Fresh Air to Your Home
No rebate forms. No waiting. The discount is applied immediately!
Schedule Free Consultation Today
"*" indicates required fields
We’ll reach out within 24 business hours.
