Natural light always makes a home warm and pleasant to live in, than artificial lighting. The way sunlight is filtered into your home can turn a dull, drab home into a sunny haven. The best part of using natural sunlight to light up your home is that you reduce energy costs as you are not using electricity to light up your home. There are several factors to consider when using sunlight as the main lighting for your home.
The right direction
When you are building a home, and you have decided that you want your home to be sunlit most of the time, you need to discuss the best options of doing that with your contractor.
North - Rooms that face North will get a lot of indirect sunlight all through the day, and so when choosing the color and décor for those rooms, you should take that into account. Strong colors are a good option for North facing rooms.
South - Rooms that face South get more intense sunlight, and so these rooms should be done up in more mellow tones as the effect of the sunlight on these warm colors will look great.
East - The rooms to the East will get the full effect of morning sunlight, so make sure that the rooms that you use during the morning are built facing East.
West - The rooms that you use later in the day should face west, so that they will have access to the sunlight as twilight draws near.
Make mirrors work for you
Sunlight and mirrors are a great combination. In rooms that don’t get direct sunlight, adding mirrors that reflect the amount of sunlight coming in, can intensify the amount of light making the room appear larger and airier.
Curtains
Rooms that face East and West have more sunlight pouring in during certain times of the day and less at other times. It is a good idea to have two sets of curtains for these windows, one on the inside and one on the outside. The inner curtains can be sheer and the outer ones can be heavier and darker. If there is too much sunlight coming into the room, the darker curtains can be drawn, if necessary. When the sun passes over to the other side, the sheer curtains will ensure that there is enough light coming in.
Venetian blinds
These are an excellent way to manage the amount of sunlight that comes into a room. Since the blinds can be moves at an angle, you will always be in control of the amount of light the room receives.
Daylighting systems
With daylighting systems, you can get sunlight coming into your home right through the day. You don’t need to build your house with an eye on the compass, if you are installing daylighting systems, as they absorb sunlight from whichever angle the sun is shining, and fill your home with it.
Many daylighting systems come with a controller. This can be used to control the amount of sunlight that comes into the house. For example, at noon, when the sun is the brightest, if you feel that the amount of sunlight coming into the home is too much, you can lower the light by using the dimmer.
Benefits of having natural sunlight in your home
Using natural sunlight to fill your home has a number of benefits:
- You conserve energy
- Your electricity bills will lower dramatically
- Natural sunlight enhances the decor of the home
- It is good for health
- It provides a positive atmosphere
- It prevents depression
There, you have it. We have been given the gift of sunlight. Let us make the most of it!
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