As open concepts in the home have become more prevalent, one area where homes have tried to become more innovative is through adapting natural light. Whether at home or a business, adopting methods to incorporate natural lighting into homes rather than artificial sources has provided benefits to personal health and people’s wallets. With improvements in lighting technology, it’s easier than ever to accomplish an affordable accommodation.
The Glowing Results of Natural Lighting Whether it is inside the home or in the workplace, studies have shown the use of natural lighting can drastically improve people’s mood and stress level. Employees who work in natural light recorded higher levels of energy than those who don’t, according to a study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Additionally, using natural light can help lower energy consumption and costs by 10 to 20 percent, according to research collected by energy company Southern California Edison.
Someone with first-hand experience of the benefits of natural lighting is Bill Bingham, owner of Aggie Daylighting. In his 25-year career remaking people’s homes, Bingham says he has seen the experience first hand of installing natural light into people’s homes.
“Anybody that’s in a shut-in type situation, especially an elderly person that is less active, [natural light] is certainly gonna be a big benefit to them,” Bingham says. “If you use natural light versus artificial light, the rooms feel more comfortable. Using my house as an example, I’ve had rooms where we had to turn on all these lights just to use the room during the day. But with [natural light], it went from a room that we rarely used to a room that we use all the time, because not only can you avoid turning on a bunch of lights, but just the room feels more friendly.”
Don’t Rely on Windows and Skylights A great place to start incorporating natural light into a home or business is through the use of windows. However, while windows can provide a marginal benefit compared to closed off walls, they often lack the ability to provide light in all parts of the room, says Bingham.
“Something that I discovered years ago was that for rooms that have large window areas on their outside walls, even though the outside is covered, the room still itself feels dark and not inviting,” Bingham says. “If I can generate a light source inside of the room away from the window, what that does is evens out the natural light and makes the whole room feel very inviting.”
Additionally, skylights in the ceiling create serious temperature and energy issues for the home during the summer and winter months, says Bingham.
“The traditional skylight sucks the energy out of the house during the winter months, acting like a chimney, so all your heat is going up against that dome.” Bingham says. “During the summer, UV radiation is penetrating down on the glass and creating a hotspot in your house, which your air conditioner has to pick up and convert into cool air.”
Solatube While windows and skylights both have major limitations, one product that can help enhance natural lighting in the household is a product called a Solatube. Capturing sunlight light from the roof, these tubes transmit natural lighting from the outside to any light in the house, giving a natural light feeling at areas windows can’t reach, says Bingham.
“Every room in a house will have at least one exterior window,” Bingham says. “The problem comes when you have either large rooms or closed off spaces, like an interior bathroom. With Solatubes, and I’m a little biased, cause I’ve been working with it for 25 years, they can direct the light where you want it to be, as opposed to a window where you had to put on the outside wall and hope that the light goes through the interior where you want.”
Since Solatube is a rather cost-effective product, Bingham says he’s seen many customers return to him multiple times to order more Solatubes for their home.
“I’ve had customers, including one customer right now, what she’s done is every month or two, she’ll call me up and say, ‘Okay, I’m ready for another one,’” Bingham says. “It’s easy for us to come in and do as little or as much as someone can afford at a specific time. She loves them, so for her, she does what she can for her budget.”
Through the use of Solatubes, households or commercial businesses can affordably incorporate natural lighting into their home, says Bingham.
