Nothing says “welcome” like a home that’s bathed in pure, natural sunlight. Sunlight is warm and inviting, but it also just looks fresh and clean, helping a home appear more relaxing and even spa-like. Compare that to a home where natural light is restricted to a few areas, or where limited or no natural light enters – the effect is gloomy and downright depressing.
While it may seem like no more than a visual impression, the fact is, natural sunlight does offer plenty of measurable health benefits, and the way we feel when we see a space flooded with gentle sunlight is spurred in part by the chemical reactions in our brains. Sunlight reacts with our skin cells, promoting the production of adequate levels of vitamin D. In fact, while we can derive some vitamin D from supplements and fortified foods like milk, our bodies rely primarily on the vitamin D we manufacture on our own – from exposure to natural sunlight. Bringing that light into your home helps your body get more of this important vitamin, which studies have shown plays a major role in preventing depression and stabilising mood, in addition to the important benefits vitamin D offers for our bones.
Even our eyes have developed to react to natural light, which comprises the full spectrum of light waves. As light enters the eyes, different wavelengths stimulate vital brain processes, which means more exposure to the natural light spectrum is healthier for our brain’s health and development.
Of course, health benefits are just one advantage of bringing more natural sunlight into a home. There are real environmental benefits as well. Every time you light a room with natural light, you’re reducing your carbon footprint and decreasing harmful greenhouse gases, so you can feel good about your part in helping the Earth. Sunlight is passive, which means there’s no need to burn coal or gas or use any other type of energy production or transmission method – the light is there and free for the taking.
Which begins us to an even more practical point of using sunlight to light your home – streamlining your budget: Using more natural sunlight during the day can significantly cut down on electric bills. Solatube skylights are designed to capture and reflect the maximum amount of natural daylight, which means you can enjoy maximum savings on your utility costs. And because they’re designed to fit between your rafters and joists, there are no shocking construction costs to deal with. Plus, Solatube skylights can be fitted with their Smart LED option so you can enjoy light from your unit even after the sun sets, and high-efficiency LEDs still keep the cost to the absolute minimum.
Having a Solatube skylight installed – even on the first floor of a multistorey home – is simple and affordable. If you’d like to learn more about Solatube skylights, including their wide range of stylish diffuser and fixtures designed to enhance any home, visit the Solatube website or contact us today.