The logic isn’t lost on Island homeowners. They want to save money and the planet. They dream of brilliant light in the forgotten nooks and crannies. They miss the rhythmic swish of a cool afternoon breeze.

But before they buy technologies to make it happen, they gotta see ‘em in action first! Skylights of Hawaii’s new showroom fits the bill.

“Some clients have found it difficult to visualize how we’ll make their home cooler, brighter and healthier. With the model mockups, we can show clients—three dimensionally—how the products work,” president David Kaahaaina says.

The loft-like showroom.

The consulting area is a first for Skylights of Hawaii. Homeowners and contractors can bring in their house plans, or send them digitally. Kaahaaina, a licensed architect, can face-to-face consult or videoconference “right next to the products we’re talking about. We can walk around a display, people can physically understand even mundane things like how does the skylight open and close? But when people use the crank handle, they get it, perceptively, without having to intuit it.”

Kaahaaina and sales manager Jeffrey Tong love the new showroom, and why not? It’s roomy, eye-catching, integrated with the warehouse and easily spotted on Sand Island Access Road. But mostly, it helps them to guide homeowners “toward a selection that’s right for them, in a package that’s affordable,” Kaahaaina says. “Consulting is more than selling skylights. Our job is to tap the homeowner’s experience and know-how. We respond with personal attention and decades of experience.”

A client meets with (right) architect David Kaahaaina.

“Every single house is different,” Tong adds. “You can’t just buy a skylight. You have to consider the juxtaposition of where the light is coming from, the hillside, the topography, downslope or upslope, wind direction.”

Skylights of Hawaii is also pleased to be recognized by the Hawaii Energy Alliance. “Our staff is proud to work for a company that’s solving energy problems,” says Tong. “Customers often tell me, When I get home from work, it doesn’t take 45 minutes to cool down the house anymore. If every single house did that, HECO wouldn’t have to worry about outages!”

Kaahaaina adds, “We are sustainable products. Less kilowatts is the right thing to do and saves money. Tubular skylights produce generous, clean light—all day and whatever the weather. One client asked for a skylight over his bed to see the moon at night. What can I say, it’s romantic!”