You know that openness, brightness, and general good feeling that fills a room with many windows and plenty of natural light? Natural light not only opens up a room, making it look larger, but it has many other benefits as well.
Benefits of Natural Light
Of course we all like working, reading, or really just…being… in a well-lit room, but lightbulbs can only get you so far when it comes to natural light’s other benefits.
- Saving Money – Energy efficiency is not only the “green” way to go, it will also save you money. Adding natural light to a home has been known to cause up to a 75{b8a7eb75cd62c2c4ab664ffbf981e225b24f5910ac196c80569e23ef03d55ab2} decrease in energy costs (Patio Enclosures). This is because you will spend less money on lighting and heating the home.
- Vitamin D – Sunlight provides Vitamin D, which in turn helps improve immune systems, happiness, and make you feel less fatigued. This is especially necessary in a state that has cold winters that make it difficult to get outside much during them.
- Reduces Mildew or Mold – The natural light coming through your windows actually kills mold and mildew. This is good for the health of everyone in the house (and the life of the home).
Ways to Let Natural Light into Your Home
- Skylights – These are the windows that mount directly on the roof to bring in natural light and ventilation. These allow a fairly large amount of natural sunlight in, especially when it’s a bright, sunny day outside. They also tend to give the room a very spacious look to it because you can easily see outside through them (they’re just like a window on the wall), so the look out to the sky and vast surroundings make it seem like the room goes out a little further than it actually does.
- Sun Tunnels or Solar Tubes – The name is a pretty good descriptor of what a sun tunnel is: a tubular skylight that extends from the roof through the ceiling. These are less expensive than a skylight, and they still provide a good amount of natural light into a room. They’re great in closets, bathrooms, and hallways. You’d be surprised how much natural light a room collects when an adjoining hallway has a sun tunnel in it. (See our previous blog, The Benefits of Skylights and Sun Tunnels, for more information on the two).
To better pick which option is best for you and your home (or maybe you’ll want a mixture of both), our previous blog on skylights and sun tunnels can help, or contact us at Triple Peaks Roofing! We’ll also be able to come to your home and provide you with an estimate to give you a better idea of what will work for you!
For more about Natural Lighting please visit Solatube.