February 7, 2007 - Zeeland, Mich. - The National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., and the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation, Washington, D.C., recently recommended that the number one way to "go green" in a home is to add more natural lighting with windows or skylights and purchase major appliances with an ENERGY STAR® rating.
Tubular Skylight
ODL has made it easy to meet these recommendations with its Tubular Skylight. The ODL Tubular Skylight meets nationwide ENERGY STAR criteria and brings natural daylight into the home, according to James Toland, product manager for ODL Tubular Skylights.
Americans spend 20 percent of their electricity bills on lighting their homes, according to the ENERGY STAR Web site. With the increasing cost of energy, adding an ODL Tubular Skylight in just one room of the home can bring light into dark spaces and help cut energy costs, adds Stark.
Tubular skylights are easy to install and are ideal for situations where there just isn't enough light and the homeowner doesn't want to install more traditional lighting systems, explains Stark. They're perfect for bathrooms, hallways, closets, laundry rooms, converted attic space, libraries, bonus rooms and just about any room in the home.
'The ODL tubular skylight with its flexible installation parameters delivers the many benefits of natural light to spaces that would otherwise be unconnected to the outdoors. Without the need for a conventional skylight shaft, its unobtrusive profile does not dominate the space but allows the room and its features to take the main stage," says Tanya Crocker Nagle, CID, ASID, LEED A.P., Integral Studio Design, LLC, Reston, Va.
The skylight features the patented Solar Lens? Dome, which increases light through the tube. The dome is designed to optimize available sunlight even during low-light hours. During full mid-day sun, a 10-inch tubular skylight illuminates 150 square feet of space with a solar throughput equal to about three 100-watt light bulbs. The 14-inch tubular skylight is designed to light up 300 square feet - an output equal to about five 100-watt light bulbs.
'The ODL tubular skylight absorbs harmful UV rays and helps prevent light damage and fading of books, special collections, rugs and fine furniture," explains Nagle. 'Installed in a converted attic space, interior study or other potentially dim room, ODL has given homeowners a way to rid their homes of dark and gloomy spaces."
ODL also offers a 10-inch and 14-inch Severe Weather Tubular Skylight for geographic areas where hail or hurricane exposure is common. The Severe Weather® Tubular Skylight meets Florida Building Code (FL2142) impact requirements and Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance (03.0415.20). The tubular skylight features a pre-assembled diffuser with a sturdy trim ring, an outer tempered glass diffuser lens that softly diffuses lights and a molded inner lens to reduce solar heat gain. "No other tubular skylight on the market features a tempered glass diffuser," says Stark.
With a U factor (the rate of heat loss) of 0.43 and a solar heat gain coefficient (the fraction of incident solar radiation admitted through the skylight) of 0.24, the ODL Tubular Skylight qualifies for ENERGY STAR approval nationwide.
For more information about ODL Tubular Skylights, please visit www.odl.com or call 1-800-ODL-4YOU.
About ODL, Inc.:
With corporate headquarters in Zeeland, Mich., ODL was founded in 1945 and has been a recipient of the Michigan Governor's Service Award. More than 60 years later, the company manufactures a variety of products, including decorative and clear doorglass, enclosed blinds, retractable screens, decorative windows, decorative bath windows, tubular and dome skylights, roof windows and the SmartFrame® doorglass unit frame - all products designed to build value into the home. ODL is an ENERGY STAR® partner and ODL glass products can be used in doors to help meet ENERGY STAR criteria across the country.
Products are manufactured or distributed in Zeeland, Atlanta, Dallas, Reno, Allentown, Pa., San Marcos, Calif., Toronto and Calgary, Canada and the United Kingdom and are sold through building material dealers and home center retailers nationwide.
Contact: Ashley Dow
Griffin & Company Inc.
202/625-2515 ext. 102
dow@griffinco.com