Australia’s leading skylighting and roof ventilation specialist, Solatube Australia has introduced a new solar-powered solution designed to remove excess heat from your roof cavity and reduce the interior temperature in your home in summer.

Did you know that your home’s roof cavity can reach up to 70°C on a hot summer’s day? Once your roof cavity is heated up, the heat spreads to the rest of your home, increasing your dependence on climate control systems, which can be very expensive.

The new Solar Star from Solatube is designed to remove excess heat from the roof cavity using a high-efficiency whisper-quiet fan unit powered entirely by solar panels. This means you will get all the advantages of a powerful roof fan without the added operational costs.

According to Solatube’s Brett Dickson, a hot roof cavity is the leading cause of a home heating up in summer. This heat not only increases discomfort for occupants but also hinders the effectiveness of ceiling fans and air-conditioning systems. While your air-conditioning is trying to cool the space, heat will still radiate from the roof cavity without adequate ventilation.

Dickson explains that the Solar Star removes hot, humid air from a roof’s cavity with the solar panels powering an efficient motor that spins lightweight, low resistant, rust-proof fan blades. Hot air exits the roof cavity through a durable, integrated, rust-proof exhaust screen.

The Solar Star roof ventilation system can be installed easily, costs nothing to operate, being solar-powered and delivers substantial return on investment by reducing your energy costs, otherwise expended on air conditioning. Thanks to Solar Star ventilation fans, your home will be cooler and drier, while the load on your air-conditioning unit can also be significantly reduced. A cooler home means reduced reliance on electricity for fans or air-conditioning, saving you money.

The Solar Star fan runs extremely fast in bright sunlight; this also means the roof cavity in summer gets the most ventilation when it’s absorbing the most solar radiation.

However, Solar Star can also be used in the cooler months as it helps to equalise interior and exterior temperatures, and reduces harmful moisture build-up to combat mould and mildew, making the interior space less favourable for pests.

Residential developer Sekisui House installed Solar Stars on their SHAWOOD homes at the master-planned community, The Hermitage in Gledswood Hills in Sydney’s South West.

SHAWOOD homes by Sekisui House are aligned to several key performance elements including thermal comfort and energy efficiency. The Solar Star by Solatube is a neat fit for SHAWOOD, aligning to both of these elements from not only a functionality perspective, but also aesthetically, due to its sleek minimalistic design. Solar Star has been a standard SHAWOOD specification for 12 months now, meeting both performance and reliability expectations.

Reliability is a key factor for customers looking to purchase a quality roof ventilation system. Dickson, therefore, warns that customers need to be careful about selecting products for harsh environments such as Australia, given the number of imported products entering the local market.

Dickson adds that a single, one-size-fits-all flashing creates similar issues with leaking as in traditional low-quality skylights. Consumers should always look for roof flashings that are tailored to the contours of their roof.

Key features and benefits of the Solatube Solar Star include solar powered operation eliminating energy costs; advanced solar panel technology generating maximum power through a large diameter fan; whisper-quiet operation; sleek, low profile; seamless one-piece flashing guaranteeing a leak-proof and durable product; different flashing styles available for customising to the application; simple and straightforward installation by certified Solatube installation consultants; Thermal Switch feature turning off the ventilation cycle when the temperature in the roof cavity is below 18°C, then starting again when the temperature is over 29°C; add-on solar panel ideal addition when continuous sun exposure is limited; and industry-leading 5-year warranty.

Architecture & Design Team

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Solatube Australia

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