Solar Innovations

Solar Innovations, Inc. Works with Contractor of the Stars

On September 13th, Steve Fanuka, the “Contractor to the Stars,” paid a visit to the Solar Innovations, Inc.'s  manufacturing facility. Solar is currently manufacturing a greenhouse for one of Mr. Fanuka’s clients in New York City. The visit was filmed for an upcoming segment on Fanuka’s new television series, “Million Dollar Contractor,” which premiered on the DIY Network at 10:00 PM on October 16th.

According to an official press release from DIY, the show offers “a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most amazing spaces and construction of Manhattan’s high-end luxury homes.” Fanuka and his crew toured Solar’s facility under the guidance of Production Manager, Frank. Frank’s interview with Fanuka will be featured in an upcoming episode of “Million Dollar Contractor.”

The actual job included the installation of two SI5206 sunrooms to replace existing structures.  One was an ogee double pitch with two gable ends while the other was an ogee lean-to.  Both of these sunrooms included many different decorative elements including finals and extruded gutters.
 
In order to crane materials to the address, parts of major Manhattan streets needed to be shut down as crates  were lifted to the elevated level.  Darren and the rest of the Solar install crew installed these two structures. While working under the pressure, the team worked work very efficiently.

Overall, the project is becoming one of Solar’s largest successes.  More pictures and behind the scenes video can be viewed at Solar Innovations, Inc.’s Facebook page. 

Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations Inc. Winter Seeds

Most gardeners look forward to February as the time when they can plant seeds.  The beauty of a greenhouse is the ability to start seeds year round and grow plants every month of the year.  Over winter greenhouse activity dies back a bit as the plants are not in full bloom or rapid growth.  I always need a project and decided to grow some seeds.  I planted a couple of tomatoes, beans, squash and peppers. So far a few of the plants have sprouted and have been transplanted to larger containers.  It will be a thrilling prospect to harvest vegetables in late winter/early spring. 

Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations, Inc. Encourages to Buy "Green" on This Holiday Season

Solar Innovations, Inc. encourages customers to shop "green" this Holiday Season.

Here are some tips on doing this:

•  Plan shopping trips ahead of time so your trip is mileage efficient and timely.
•  Check online to see where the best deals are to avoid driving place to place.
•  Shop Online.  Delicery services plan deliveries to be fuel efficient.
•  Swap old gifts with friends.  One's trash may be another's treasure.
•  Buy items that are durable and will last a long time.
•  Buy used items
• Look for energy efficient products.

These are only a few ways to be more "green" this holiday season.  Please be conscious that everyone does make a difference.

Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations, Inc.'s New Hydronic Heating System

Solar Innovations, Inc. recently completed a hydronic heating system for use in its orchid greenhouse.  Solar plans to have zero energy heating for the entire 14,000 square feet of their three greenhouses and also to reduce the propane heating of the facility in the near future.  Greenhouse tours can be scheduled at Solar Innovations, Inc.'s facility in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania.

Hydronic heat is a clean, healthy, and energy efficient method of heating a glass structure. The vent work in forced air units periodically needs to be periodically cleaned, unlike a hydronic heater. The motor of a hydronic heater does not blow air through vent work where dust resides, resulting in its cleanliness. These motors are also much quieter than those found in traditional heating options. The hydronic process begins with solar hot water panels warming the water which runs through a boiler. Thermal panels allow for an alternate way to create heat and save both energy and money. A pump then circulates the heated water which is transferred into the air and increases the room’s temperature. The cooled water is then returned and reheated. This type of heat creates a more evenly distributed temperature throughout a structure than forced air units, creating a steady temperature void of hot and cold pockets the room. The temperature of the air being produced is generally consistant and there are no drastic dips in temperature to create cause uneven heating. An added benefit of a hydronic heater is its energy efficiency which will eventually reducing the owners utility bills.

Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations Inc Grows a Slipper Orchid

One of our newer blooms to the greenhouse is a Paphiopedilum, Nike's Sunny Delight. The common name is a slipper orchid named for the pouch on the front of the plant which resembles a slipper shape. Most orchids in this genus grow throughout Asia and the Southeast Asian islands such as the Philippines and New Guinea. The plant is a sequential bloomer, meaning that one bloom opens and the next starts, ensuring a long progression of flowers.  All blooms come from the same stem so it cannot be trimmed after the first flower finishes blooming.  A strong healthy plant can bloom continuously for almost a year.  This orchid is a medium-light orchid which works perfectly for the shortened daylight hours of winter, roughly 800-1000 foot candles. Water should be supplied in moderation, one time a week will normally suffice. Daytime temperatures should range between 70-80 degrees with temperatures around 60 at night with humidity around 50%.    

  Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations. Inc Orchids to Bloom

The orchids in the greenhouse are starting to give spikes.  There are currently 35 orchids in this greenhouse and ten of them are going to bloom.  There are several orchids which have never bloomed in the past and this is cause for great excitement.  Other orchids were purchased blooming and this is the first time for them to bloom in the greenhouse.  These orchids will probably take between 1-2 months to come into full bloom. There is a dendrobium and several phaels that will bloom and whose names have been lost over time.  We have a vanda lamellata, a houweara lava burst, Little stars, a doritis pulcherrima, and the continual paphiopedilum Nike's Sunny Delight.  I am hoping that the orchids will be blooming in the middle of a snowstorm as this would create the perfect indoor paradise.  It is only thanks to the weather tight greenhouse and its heating system that we can grow orchids into the winter months.     

 Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations, Inc. Completes Work on Another Succah Skylight Project

Solar Innovations, Inc. recently completed work on two manually operated Succah skylights in the Northeast.  The project was completed in conjunction with Affordable Windows and Doors, one of Solar Innovations, Inc.’s dealers.  An amazing feature of Succah skylights are the ability to have massive panels open vertically inward, outward, or almost any configuration a customer would desire.  Both skylights consisted of five panels with 240 over 240 glazing measuring 6 feet wide by 11 feet long. The 4 1/2 inch aluminum framing was finished in Bronze Duracron.  These skylights are powered with four stroke hydraulic cylinders.  Retractable skylights have the ability to open allowing the sun inside the residence during the day and allow residents to enjoy gazing at the stars in the luxury of their own homes at night.  Retractable skylights are becoming one of Solar Innovations, Inc.'s signatures displaying its ability to make dreams come true. 

Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations Inc, Amaryllis Bloom

The greatest excitement in the greenhouse right now is the amaryllis bulb which has set a spike.  I bought the plant last year with a "Bloom by Christmas" guarantee.  It was just my luck that the plant never even set a spike last year.  Nevertheless I persisted.  The bulb kept its leaves the entire year.  At the end of summer I reduced the water for the plant.  Then by the mid-fall around October I stopped watering it all together as I read this helps set a bloom.  My antics worked and we now have a spike.  It will probably bloom after Christmas but I am still thrilled to have the bloom.  Next year I will stop watering it even earlier in hopes of a Christmas bloom. 

Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations, Inc. a custom manufacturer of residential and commercial sunrooms; conservatories; greenhouses; skylights; and more, debuts two new conservatory blind options.
Pinoleum blinds are the original conservatory blind. Although the blinds were developed in France in 1872, they have spread throughout the world. These blinds have historically been featured in glass enclosures and are still popular in English style conservatories today.

The versatile blinds can be used on both the conservatory’s roof and walls, and are comprised of individual reads, which are woven together; thin wood is used to minimize sag within the blinds. The wooden reeds can be painted or stained and are available in numerous colors, ranging from neutrals like dove grey to intense colors such as ginger cake; custom colors are also available.

When the blinds are pulled closed, natural daylight can still enter the conservatory, but harsh glares are reduced. Temperature can also be regulated with pinoleum blinds. During the hot summer days, the blinds can be used to reduce heat gain and thus the structure’s temperature. In winter the blinds help to insulate the conservatory against cold temperatures. 

Pinoleum blind systems can be operated by hand or with a motor (motorized versions can be operated with a remote control), allowing them to be closed for shading or fully open to optimize daylight. The blinds retract into to the eave in a Roman fold style and are manufactured in custom dimensions to fit any conservatory’s specific sizes.  Structures containing high moisture, such as pool enclosures and greenhouses, are not suitable environments for pinoleum blinds, as the wood may suffer damage.

Solar R blinds are another shade system that can be utilized in conservatories. The blinds’ aluminum backing reflects 85 percent of sunlight and heat, keeping the room cool. Solar R blinds retract into a cassette which is mounted at the eave line of the conservatory and pocket out of sight. Blinds can be operated via a manual pull or motor (remote controls available for use with motorized units), reduce glare to the space’s occupants, and allow natural light to penetrate the room.

Solar R blinds are engineered to remain flat and will not crease or fold when retracted. This system is available in neutral colors such as straw, walnut, olive, and powder blue. Corresponding window blinds are also available.

Due to their versatility, these blinds can be used for conservatory, sunroom, and skylight applications. For your viewing pleasure, video clips can be found at: www.youtube.com/SolarInnovationsInc If you have questions regarding Pinoleum blind or Solar R blinds, and require assistance choosing a system that best suits your needs, please call Solar Innovations, Inc. at 800-618-0669. A sales representative or conservatory design specialist will be happy to aid you in your decision.

Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.

Solar Innovations, Inc. Announces Team Member of the Month!

Solar Innovations, Inc. announced Janelle as the team member of the month.  Janelle has continued to step into a team leader role and has been working to improve attitude, motivation, and detail documentation within the department. She has been instrumental in updating buckets for the department to help its implementation and has been essential to establishing and maintaining the department’s schedule.

Additional nominees for October were
Derek, Bud, Eric, Jeff, and Adam.

Solar Innovations, Inc.’s product line consists of, but is not limited to:

• Conservatories
• Sunrooms 
• Greenhouses
• Hobby Greenhouses
• Pool Enclosures and Spa Enclosures
• Folding Glass Walls and Folding Glass Windows
• Sliding Glass Doors and Sliding Glass Windows
• Curtain Walls and Window Walls
• Canopies and Walkways
• Storefronts
• Skylights
• Terrace Doors and French Doors
• Awning Windows, Casement Windows, Garden Windows, Hopper Windows, and Hung Windows
• Tilt Turn Windows and Tilt Turn Doors
• Tilt Slide Windows and Tilt Slide Doors 
• Lift Slide Doors and Windows
• Pivot Doors
• Stacking Glass Walls and Stacking Glass Windows
• Timber Walls (Wood Curtain Walls)
• Screen Systems
• Car Washes

Please contact Solar Innovations, Inc. at skylight@solarinnovations.com or call (800)618-0669 or (570)915-1500.