Natural Light: 5 Things to Consider When Building Your Home

Natural light is an amazing thing. Apart from being an abundant and renewable resource, it can transform your home making it visually pleasing and promoting wellbeing.

There are plenty of reasons for letting natural light into your home. But to make it truly energy-efficient and optimise its potential, you’ll need to consider the quality of light you’re letting in and match it with the right spaces in your home.

When you get it right, it will help create an incredible ambience, as well as improving the sustainability of your home. And it’s free!

With all that in mind, in this article, I share five important things to keep in mind when using natural light.

Orientation of your home

The orientation - the position your home occupies on the land - and the size of your home, both play a big role in how much natural light it gets.

In the southern hemisphere where I am, north-facing windows will receive more natural light during the day, while south-facing windows will receive less.

You’ll need to keep this in mind when you’re choosing where to place your furniture, and where to position your windows.

For example, in Victoria, Australia light from the north is perfect for an afternoon snooze in the middle of winter and it can make a cosy nook for pets and humans to doze. 

But if you put uncontrolled skylights in the wrong place, you could end up getting sunburnt whilst sitting in your living room on a hot summer’s day. Which isn’t good for you, or for your electricity bill.

Using Window Treatments

Using the right window treatments can help to control and adjust the amount of natural light that enters your home. 

Hanging sheer curtains or blinds can help to filter the light while still letting it into the room, while heavier curtains or blinds can be used to completely block out light when needed.  

In some cases, changing weather conditions during the day or based on the season, may need ability to control and adjust the amount of natural light that enters your home. For example, you may want to open up to a glorious view, which in the afternoon means you’re exposed to the harsh sun which will heat up your house. 

External shading is also a great option for preventing unwanted heat from coming into your home before it hits your windows.

Optimising for Energy Efficiency

There are two key ways for natural light to add to the energy efficiency of your home build. These are known as daylighting and passive heating.

Daylighting is the practice of using natural light to illuminate your home, instead of using artificial lighting. 

This approach can help to both save energy and reduce your electricity bill. 

To take advantage of daylighting, you should consider using skylights, light shelves for reflected light, or other techniques to allow natural light to enter your home. 

Solar skylights are a great option. This is where solar panels (typically on your roof) are wired to (similar to a diffused skylight) inside your home and are powered up when the sun is out.

These are particularly good as they’ll reduce the need to penetrate your roof, preventing unwanted heat gain or loss, and being able to provide solar light to areas via a cable that may not have been possible via a physical light shaft. 

They can also be connected to electricity so you can use them at night, and to power light fittings throughout your home, and they can be grouped to run off appropriately sized solar panels.

Passive heating can be achieved by using natural light, capturing the heat of the sun and keeping it in thermal mass stores to gradually release into your home when it’s cold.

 Your thermal mass store could be a thick masonry wall or floor or even a body of water, like a shallow pond. You’ll need to take care to insulate the thermal mass from unwanted heat loss and unwanted heat gain in the hotter times of the year.

Achieving the Right Mood and Ambience

Thinking carefully about the mood and ambience you want to create for your home will help you to make good choices when it comes to natural light.

There are so many types of natural light you can consider to enhance your spaces; direct light, reflected light, diffused light, borrowed light, filtered light, stark light and dappled light to name a few. And each of these types of light will create a different feeling in your home.

The methods you can employ to harness natural light are numerous as well. From the type of glass you use, to whether you use specific plants and trees to filter the natural light, selecting the sunset light to hit a lovely textured wall at day’s close or even capturing the early morning rays to get us bouncing out of bed.

Natural light can also be enhanced with reflective and light-coloured surfaces, and your choice of colour palette also impacts natural light. Darker colours will absorb more light, while lighter colours reflect more light. Choosing a lighter colour palette can help to create a brighter, more open feeling in your home.

The Health Benefits of Natural Light

Natural light has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including boosting your mood, improving sleep, and reducing eyestrain. By using natural light in your home, you can create a healthier, more comfortable living space for you and your family.

The positive psychological effects of natural light have been well-researched. Sunlight helps to release the feel-good hormone of serotonin which can improve your mood, endorphins, which act as natural stress relievers, and of course, it is well-known that sunlight is a key player in the production of vitamin D which is essential to maintaining good bone health, cell growth and a healthy immune system.

Natural light is also a key factor that can help regulate our circadian rhythms. These are the natural 24-hour cycles that regulate our sleep-wake cycle, hormone production, and other bodily functions. And natural light has a huge influence - exposure to natural light helps to regulate your circadian rhythms, making it easier to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning.

The number of health benefits we can attribute to natural light within your home just keeps going.

Studies have shown that people who work in environments with natural light tend to have better sleep quality, higher energy levels, and improved overall health compared to those who work in artificial lighting. Natural light exposure has also been linked to improvements in mood, cognitive function, and mental health.

Direct sunlight can ward off mould and unwanted moisture and help indoor plants to grow, so they can help purify the air, reduce stress levels, and improve your cognitive function.

Natural light is a great feature of any new home build.

Our connection with nature, with the earth and the sun, and the passing of time and season can be strengthened by allowing natural light to fill our homes. 

It’s not just about aesthetics. While natural light looks amazing, it can also make you feel amazing, enhancing your family’s quality of life and at the same time, reducing your environmental footprint.

So, if you want to create a welcoming space and a brighter, happier home, make sure you consider these five important things about natural light and work with your architect to harness its sustainability and joy.