Guide to Maximizing Natural Light in your Home

Tips to Help you Let the Sunshine in.

By Jenny Schweyer

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If home renovation plans are in your future, one goal you should have in mind is to maximize natural light in your home. In fact, incorporating natural light into your home's interior is one of the latest trends in interior design. One major reason that this trend is catching on is our desire as a nation to go green and reduce our carbon footprint. Taking advantage of the natural light that is available during the day means turning off lights indoors. The more light that gets inside, the less electricity you'll use. This helps to preserve our natural resources. Of course, the money that you'll save on your electric bill is an added bonus.

Another good reason to maximize natural light in your home is for the health benefits it provides. Natural light helps to regulate the body's circadian rhythm. This is the "body clock" each of us has which helps us to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed. Lack of sunlight can throw off that "body clock" and disrupt waking and sleeping patterns. This leads to daytime drowsiness, poor work/school performance, and even depression (especially in the winter time when sunlight is scarce anyway.) Keeping a steady supply of natural light flowing into the house staves off those blues in the winter and keeps you mentally alert when you need to be and drowsy when it's time to sleep.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Install skylights.

Skylights are the next-best thing to windows when it comes to maximizing natural light in your home.

I recommend: a few strategically-placed skylights to bathe your home in sunlight. When choosing a location for installation, try to pick the side of your house that receives the most daytime sunlight. Another good tip is to install skylights in areas or rooms that get used frequently. This will further cut down on the need to turn on lights during the daytime, meaning a reduction in electrical costs. Another great place to install skylights that is often overlooked is the bathroom. You'll create a spa-like atmosphere right in your own home.

Install blinds.

This is an easy and very economical way to maximize natural light in your home.

I recommend: either vertical or horizontal blinds, which will allow you to control the amount of light that comes indoors. If it's a hot summer day and you need to cool off, simply close them. Adjust the slats to allow a little or a lot of sunlight in, depending on the type of weather you're having, or raise them entirely for full exposure.

Replace heavy draperies with sheer curtains.

Sheers will allow light to filter through even when closed.

I recommend: replacing curtains with sheers, or adding sheers underneath curtains. This gives you the option of both: dark or heavy curtains for blacking out the sun and sheers for letting in a little sun. Open both for full sun exposure.

Remove obstacles from the outsides of windows.

Get rid of anything that breaches the bounds of the window frame.

I recommend: Trim overgrown hedges or shrubs. Cut back tree branches that are blocking the glass. Move patio furniture that might be in the way.

Keep windows clean.

Sounds pretty basic, doesn't it? The great thing about this one is that it won't cost you more than a bottle of glass cleaner and a rag.

I recommend: a little bit of window cleaner and some elbow grease. Homeowners often don't realize how dirty their windows actually are until they take a few minutes to give them a good cleaning. Sometimes a simple cleaning can improve a window's transparency by ten to twenty percent. This can make significant difference in the amount of natural light that will be able to get through.