Benefits of Natural Lighting
5 minute read
Sunlight is essential to keep us healthy and happy. A home with abundant daylight reduces the need to use electric lights from sun-up to sun-down. The best strategy to achieve a warm and inviting space is with natural light design. As a fundamental design component for sustainable living, utilizing natural light can reduce lighting energy consumption during the day by as much as 80%, according to the US Green Building Council.
Along with the benefits natural light design, there are also negative issues that need to be addressed like glare, heat loss, heat gain and UV exposure. An experienced energy-efficient window expert can help you balance the benefits with the side effects. Window type, glass selection, placement and orientation are all important components to take full advantage of the sunshine and apply shading techniques to enhance and define your space.
Advanced Window Products in Salt Lake City, Utah is proud to offer our custom-made new or replacement windows and doors to create a controlled natural light design to utilize the sun’s light and warmth while protecting you and your family from harmful UV rays. Take advantage of rebates for our high-quality, energy-efficient window products and flexible finance options.
Top Three Advantages of Natural Light
Aside from the instant value new windows provide, there are many benefits of using natural light through strategic window design and placement in your home, like:
- Utilize Natural Light to reduce light energy consumption and the warm rays of the sun can naturally heat your home during cold winter months to help save on energy bills.
- Improve Indoor Air-Quality by opening up the windows to bring outdoor air Inside with functional window options.
- Health Benefits from Regular Sun Exposure are crucial to our well-being. Sunlight offers low levels of vitamin D and promotes better sleep and a higher sense of optimism.
Introduce Natural Light with Daylighting
The design term daylighting refers to strategic placement of a variety of windows, side lights and skylights to introduce the maximum amount of natural lighting into your home. You will want to consider window placement and orientation for each area as the sun moves across the sky. Depending on the time of day, the sunlight will subtly change the look and feel of the room.
You can achieve all of the benefits of daylighting and reduce energy consumption by choosing windows & doors specially designed to withstand Utah’s weather extremes. It is important to choose a window manufacturer with a large selection of window types with energy efficiency options to fit your budget. Look for features like heat reflection to combat heat transfer while still letting in the light, UV protection and the following manufacturing standards for superior long-term performance:
- NFRC Energy Performance Ratings
- Energy Star Certification
- EPA Lead Safe Certified
- AAMA Certified Installation Master
How Can I Maximize Natural Light?
If you do not have the option to incorporate daylighting design in the floorplan of your new build, there are several things you can do to your existing home without changing the location of your windows. The experts at Advanced Window Products recommend maximizing your home’s current window layout to take advantage of natural light at different times during the day.
Here are a few strategic tips for homeowners to incorporate natural lighting without major renovation to change a window’s location:
- North Facing Windows present an even natural sunlight with minor glare and summer heat gain.
- South Facing Windows will provide beneficial heating from the sun during winter months and minimal direct sun in the summertime.
- East and West Facing Windows should ideally be smaller in size and include shading options because of direct sun exposure. East facing windows receive targeted sunlight from sunrise to mid-afternoon and West facing windows cause heat build-up from mid-afternoon to late evening sunshine.
Selecting the best windows for natural light to complement the sun’s benefits through daily movement and seasonal location is very important to avoid hot spots and glare and take advantage of natural light and warmth in the wintertime. It is equally important to shop around for the best quality windows to meet your needs and consider professional installation to ensure the windows are properly sealed and insulated.
Let Us Help Your Achieve Your Ideal Daylight Design
Advanced Windows USA superior quality window and door products have been specially designed for the four-season weather of Utah. You can’t go wrong with factory-direct savings, flexible finance options, double lifetime warranty, professional installation and our industry-leading customer service. As a part of Buy Local First Utah, Advanced Windows is pleased to participate in our local community and proudly supports the Utah Make A Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Zenith International Charity (ZIC) and the Fallen Brothers Foundation.
Contact Us or give us a call today at 801-505-9622 to learn more about creating a more sustainable home with innovative, energy saving natural light design and energy efficient window options.
