Chuck Lyons has found that the best way to sell a light pipe skylight is with a little drama. "I haven't gotten any sales from the literature," says the owner of Carver Glass in Carver, Massachusetts. Instead, he outfitted a windowless 15-ft. by 15-ft. room in his showroom with a 13-in. Sun Pipe, then covered the diffuser at the bottom with a box. "When I take customers into the room and shut the door, they're in complete darkness," he says. "Then I remove the box and the room lights up. The first word out of most people's mouths is 'wow.'" Lyons reports that the sale becomes fairly easy at that point. In fact, he's installed 45 to 50 during the last year.

Light pipes were first introduced in the early 1990s. They are basically a metal or plastic tube that delivers light from the roof into a dark room. The typical light pipe includes a roof-mounted plastic dome to capture sunlight, a reflective tube that stretches from the dome to the interior ceiling and a ceiling-mounted diffuser that spreads the light around the room. There are at least six brands currently on the market. Most companies offer two sizes: a 13-in. model to fit between 16-in. on-center framing, and a 21-in. model to fit between 2-ft. on-center framing.

By all counts, the devices are effective. Tests done by the Alberta Research Council in Canada found a light pipe's output to be the equivalent of a 1200-watt incandescent bulb. "And it's free," says Alice Hammacher of the Northbrook, Illinois, Sun Pipe Co., Inc. "We've even had utility companies look at the product as a way to save energy."

But since the product is so new, people still remain skeptical. David Lunt, a product manager at the Zeeland, Michigan-based ODL Incorporated, which makes the EZ Light brand light pipe, says that the problem is customers' preconceptions about what a skylight should do. "Most of them assume that a skylight should offer a view," he says. "While our product won't give you a view, it will bring light to spaces that a skylight won't, including walk-in closets, small interior bathrooms, and hallways." Lunt also stresses ease of installation.

Like Lyons, Hammacher and Lunt both admit that the key is letting people see the product installed, even if it's just in a warehouse.

Contact:

Sun Pipe
ODL Incorporated