Imagine your living room bathed in natural sunlight, gorgeously glowing with warmth, harmony and an all-around beautiful and inviting vibe. Imagine curling up on your cosy sofa with your favourite book, experiencing the main character’s adventure as gleaming rays bring the pages to life. Imagine feeling at peace just by walking into a room and getting charged with the energy of the sun. However idyllic this environment may seem, it is the genuine emotion you experience when you welcome more sunlight into your home.
Nothing can compare to the feeling that natural sunlight provides. In addition to the numerous health benefits that sunlight brings to our minds, bodies, and souls, it also plays a well-deserved role in clever interior design strategies. You don’t need to be an architecture guru to incorporate more natural sunlight into your home; all you need is to access the proper resources to point you in the right direction. This inspirational and practical guide will walk you through the wonderful world of natural sunlight in homes, from benefits to hands-on tips. We will talk about roof windows and how they have taken the modern home to the next level by introducing natural sunlight in a cost-effective manner. Rediscover the beauty of sunlight for your home and well-being below.
Contents
- Sunlight - Vital to Our Well-being
- How to Get More Sun Light into Your Home
- Varieties of Roof Windows
- Sun Tunnels: Innovation for a Healthy Life
- Side-Hung Rooflight for Uninhabited Spaces
- Centre-Pivot Roof Windows
- Electric & Solar Powered Roof Windows
- Top-Hung Roof Windows
- Flat Roof Windows
- Cabrio Balcony
- Sloping & Vertical Combinations
- Sloping & Fixed Combinations
- Blinds & Shutters
- Conservation Roof Windows for a Vintage Aspect
- Electric and Solar-Powered Roof Windows
A. Major Health Benefits of Natural Sun Light
Before we dive into the variety of Velux, flat glass roof or exit windows you can choose from, we want to work from the roots to the results. Most of us adore soaking up the sun on the beach, in the park or simply walking through the city during a great day. In fact, there is even research that explains why sunlight always gives us a feel-good sensation. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is associated with pleasure, and sunlight is praised for significantly boosting it. Nevertheless, increases in dopamine aren’t the only goodies we get from sun rays. They possess a myriad of benefits for the human body that most people aren’t even aware of.Don’t get us wrong; we’re conscious of the dangerous effects that prolonged exposure to sunlight can have on our skin and overall health. In no way is it safe to stay in the sun for a long period of time, even lathered in high-quality protection products. We encourage everyone to do individual research on the threats of excessive sun rays and how they can best shield themselves. Our point of focus here is allowing more sunlight to penetrate into your home, for the reasons we will elaborate on below.
1. Sun Light – Vital to Our Well-being
Alright, so we feel good when the sun shines on our faces but is that the only reason why we should take sunlight more seriously? Of course not. There are plenty of benefits that have been proven by studies in the field. First and foremost, it is essential to explain that sunlight and vitamin D go hand in hand. When our skin comes into contact with sunlight, we benefit from increased amounts of this delightful vitamin. In turn, we enjoy an abundance of health benefits that can have a huge impact on our lives.
For instance, a boost in vitamin D has been associated with the reduction of heart disease risk. It works by lowering both our blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Even more so, we might lower the risk of developing diabetes, also owing to vitamin D. Although it might seem like a paradox, sunlight may help you prevent certain types of cancer. If you overexpose your skin to sunlight you increase your chances of developing skin cancer, but healthy amounts of sunlight can help you reduce the risk of breast, womb or bladder cancer, to name a few.
Surprisingly enough, sunlight might also help you stay in shape. A study published in 2014 associated sunlight exposure earlier in the day with a reduced body mass index. It also promotes bone health, energy boosts and combatting depression due to unfavourable weather conditions. Plus, if you suffer from arthritis or any other conditions related to muscle inflammation, a good dose of sunshine can help ease the pain. If you are a woman and have issues with your menstruation, there are high chances that vitamin D can help you out in this area too.
Even though there are a lot more benefits of sunlight, one of the top ones is that it boosts your all-around immune system by promoting white blood cell production. What could you want more?
2. How to Get More Sun Light into Your Home
Now that you know why sunlight is so important for your body and state of mind, it’s time to see how you can get more of it on a daily basis. A few tips for getting more sunlight for a healthier lifestyle are:
- Going for long strolls in the park
- Walking, riding a bicycle, rollerblading or skateboarding, as opposed to other traditional means of transportation
- Going to the pool or beach during the summer
While these serve as general advice for letting sun rays sink into your skin, we also want to offer support for permanent solutions. In this regard, we will expand on getting more natural light into your home. From this point of view, there are four main options you can consider:
- Windows – naturally, the more windows in your home, the more sunlight will enter.
- Glass doors – consider replacing your metal or wooden doors with French or glass doors.
- Mirrors – strategically positioned mirrors can successfully reflect sunlight in your home.
- Roof windows – the most reliable option for enjoying sunlight in your house at all times.
To build up your plan for installing roof windows, you can start with the first three recommendations we mentioned. In a nutshell, you should try to go for as many large windows as you can in strategic areas in your home. Moreover, glass doors will truly help bring more sunlight into your house if you install them instead of other types of doors. Mirrors are a fantastic addition to the whole set up, as they can bounce off light and bring more warmth.
As for roof windows, this is a whole different story that you will have plenty of fun with. Look into the section below for tips and tricks related to windows in your roof for natural sunlight.
B. Roofing Solutions for Naturally-lit Houses
These window roofing solutions might not work for all homes, but they will fit perfectly well for most. The way they work is by allowing natural sunlight to pour into your home from the top, one of the most efficient ways of doing so. The good news is that there isn’t just one way to bring light into your house from your roof. They come in numerous shapes and sizes, and there are solutions available to fit all types of budgets. You will certainly find an option that fits your preferences, with the right angle for your roof and the right closing system.
You can find a few of the most popular and easy to implement roofing solutions below.
1. Varieties of Roof Windows
Centre-Pivot Roof Windows
First of all, let’s talk about centre-pivot roof windows, the standard type of Velux windows that can be found in most households. As their name suggests, they work by having a centre pivot, making them easy to pull down and close back up. They come in a variety of materials, from timber to polyurethane.
Furthermore, white isn’t the only colour option. Pine finish roof windows elegantly blend with your furniture and choice of interior décor.
Electric & Solar Powered Roof Windows
If you’re tech-savvy and love incorporating the latest gadgets into your home design, you can go for a selection of electric and solar powered roof windows. Even though these roof windows require a heftier budget than the classic centre-pivot varieties, they come with plenty of extra benefits. An electric window is perfect if you have a tall ceiling, and you can’t reach it to manually close the windows. Even if it’s at arm’s reach, an electric window is an excellent solution for individuals with back problems that shouldn’t be going for hard-to-reach places.
Top-Hung Roof Windows
Regardless if you get them white or with a pine finish, top-hung roof windows are some of the most practical kinds you can invest in. As opposed to centre-pivot windows, these ones simply hang from the top, making them easier to work with. You should also look into the appropriate flashings, according to the tiles on your roof.
Flat Roof Windows
Flat roof windows also come in many varieties for different needs and preferences. A fixed flat roof is wonderful if you don’t want any hassle with opening and closing, if you just want to enjoy sunlight in your room. A manual opening flat glass roof is perfect for getting a bit of fresh air in addition to sunlight. Possibly the most practical of all flat roof windows is the electric one, as you can wirelessly manage the opening and closing process. For a little bit of sunlight, you can opt for a 60 x 60 cm flat roof window, or you can go for 100 x 150 cm for a great amount of sunshine.
Cabrio Balcony
If you want a truly unique approach to your roof windows for extra sunlight, discover the Cabrio balcony. This brilliant solution combines the benefits of a roof window with those of a balcony into one fantastic way to bring sunlight in your house. You can get a pine finish Cabrio balcony or a white one, all to make your home have a unique touch.
Sloping & Vertical Combinations
What if you want even more light and you have both a sloping and vertical area you need to cover for your roof window? No need to worry, there are solutions available for this case too. They are the optimum choice for getting as much sunlight as possible into your room, available in three different combo types (single, twin, triple). You can get them in white (painted or polyurethane) or pine finish, together with flashing kits and an internal trimmer.
Sloping & Fixed Combinations
Sloping and vertical aren’t the only combinations you can look into. Sloped and fixed elements are also a potential solution for getting more sunlight. Like all other roof window options, they come in white painted, white polyurethane and pine finish varieties, as well as with flashing kits.
Blinds & Shutters
To top everything off, you can explore various blinds and shutters for your roof windows. We all love as much sunlight as we can, but sometimes we want to sleep in or take a midday nap without having the sun in our eyes. For this, you can look into manual blackout blinds, roller blinds or Roman blinds, to name a few examples. If you want the best of both worlds, you can try out a duo package of blackout and pleated blinds.
Electric blackout, roller, and Venetian blinds are all available options, as well as solar-powered solutions. If you have roof windows installed in a child’s room, you can bring a smile to their face every time with cartoon characters on their blinds. Solar roller shutters are also an elegant way to block sunlight during key moments of the day.
If you have a flat roof window, you can get electric pleated blinds, double pleated solar blinds or solar electric heat reduction blinds.
2. Sun Tunnels: Innovation for a Healthy Life
Thanks to the development of technology, we can now enjoy splendid products such as sun tunnels. If you’re not quite familiar with the term, you should know that sun tunnels are the roof window solution that allows natural sunlight to seep in even the darkest areas of your home.
For example, you can use a flexible or rigid sun tunnel to light up your hallways, staircases, bathrooms and other areas of your house that don’t have direct exposure to the sun. Rigid and flexible varieties are also available for flat roofs, so you don’t have to worry about your home’s architecture for making them work.
If your case requires it, you can also get extensions for 10" or 14" sun tunnels to make the most of your product. Even more so, you can also consider a low energy light kit for your new sun tunnel investment in order to get the best results.
The main reason why you should consider a sun tunnel is that it’s basically the only way you can get natural sunlight into areas of your home that are not directly exposed to outer walls or your angled or flat roof. These are one of the trending items on the market right now, and more and more individuals have chosen to light up their homes the natural way through this method. Not only will you save a considerable amount of money on your electricity bills, but you will also enjoy that kick of vitamin D we explained was so important.
3. Side-hung Rooflight for Uninhabited Spaces
What about the spaces in your home that nobody lives in? Shouldn't they get plenty of sunlight and fresh air too? Of course, they should. Not only is this solution extremely affordable, but it's also quite versatile. These side-hung rooflights can help you freshen the room all day round, with the help of three useful positions. You can hinge it either to the left or the right to make the most of your uninhabited room. You can get one that is 46 cm wide and 61 cm high or one that’s 54 cm by 83 cm, depending on the room you want to install it in.
C. Responsible and Eco-friendly Solutions
Choosing a roof window is already an environmentally-friendly decision as it is, by significantly cutting power costs. Think about it – if you have several roof windows installed in your home, you won’t have to keep lights on during the day which means a more responsible approach to daily power waste. This is wonderful for saving money, but it’s also outstanding for using less electricity. If your budget permits, it is highly recommended to install a roof window in every room that you can. Even if the room can’t be directly connected to the outside part of your house, you should definitely consider a sun tunnel for a similar effect. But are these the only solutions you have at hand? Not at all – you can also choose from other responsible roofing solutions.
1. Conservation Roof Windows for a Vintage Aspect
What can be more beautiful than a conservation roof window? If you love refined tastes and style just as much as you want sunlight to be seeping into your home, this is, without a doubt, the solution for you. A centre-pivot or top-hung conservation roof is a timeless choice for those who long for a vintage aesthetic. Not only are these varieties (or the pine finish ones) highly fashionable, but they also have a truly useful side to them too. They are noticeably longer and bring in, even more, sunlight than other roof windows. Glaze bars aren’t a problem either; you can get one for windows that are 78 cm, 98 cm, 118 cm, 140 cm or 160 cm high.
In a nutshell, conservation windows are delightful for old buildings and owners who want to maintain a classic and classy style. One of the best features that conservation roofs have is the 180-degree rotation for easy maintenance, as well as the sleek external profiles painted black.
2. Electric and Solar-Powered Roof Windows
We briefly spoke about the practical side of electric window roofs before, but what about the multiple benefits that solar windows have? Not only can they be opened and closed remotely, but this whole technology takes place after being charged by solar energy. The installation process is even easier than that for electric windows, as no wires at all are required. You also get eight pre-defined programs so you can schedule the opening and closing of your roof windows when needed. For example, you can establish the time they’re opened and closed while you’re away on holiday, so you don’t have to worry about rainfall.
What makes these roof windows really stand out is the fact that they use solar energy to function. This means that you not only cut electricity consumption by using a window roof in the first place, but you also don’t have to waste power on an electric window set up.
Final Thoughts
To wrap everything up, sunlight can always make its way into your home sweet home if you know what options you have at hand. You can try a variety of different roof windows that are specifically tailored to your needs, preferences and architecture. Aside from the fact that roof windows are extremely practical for getting more sunlight, they are also an exceptional way to do your individual part in protecting the planet. It might not seem like a major difference at first, but you will be pleasantly surprised to see just how much electricity you can save through this small gesture.
Last but certainly not least, you are making a small investment for your long-term wellbeing. Get ready to soak up that vitamin D and have a home full of sunlight!
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