How to Bring Daylight to the Darkest Corners of Your House

Original post by Kat Wiseman for the VELUX USA Blog

Imagine it: natural light in areas of your home you never thought possible!

At VELUX, we believe every room deserves to be filled with bright, natural light. Realistically, though, there are areas in every home that are just a bit harder to illuminate than others.

It's simple enough to incorporate wide windows into your kitchen, living room, and bedroom plans. But other areas, like the stairwell, laundry room, or hallways, seem too small and closed off to bring sunlight in.

Or are they?

VELUX Sun Tunnels make it possible to bring natural light to areas where traditional windows and skylights aren't an option.

VELUX Sun Tunnel Skylights bring natural light into the darkest and most isolated spaces in your home through a specially designed tunnel that passes from roof to ceiling. This tunnel that bypasses all obstacles uses an adaptable reflecting tube to direct daylight into every corner of your home.

Interior spaces, like entryways and hallways, can be dark and unwelcoming with their limited access to natural light. But with VELUX's innovative Sun Tunnel Skylights, you can add enough daylight to turn every corner of your home into something truly extraordinary!

Bright Sunroom, Happy Customer

We recently installed three new VELUX Skylights with blinds in a sunroom that just wasn't meeting its potential. With some light from above, the space is now bright and airy, just as a sunroom should be.

Check out the transformation below:

 

"I am completely pleased with the skylights and installation. Joel and crew were the best contractors I have ever worked with: efficient, skilled, on-time, friendly, and detail-oriented. The VELUX hardware is simply magnificent. 

It was a pleasure doing business with you. I'll gladly recommend Naturalight Solar to anyone in the area interested in skylights.

Thank you again."

-Ross A. 

VELUX Skylights Make a Fresh and Healthy Home

Watch to see how architect Jeff Day used eight VELUX No Leak Solar Powered "Fresh Air" Skylights to refresh the air inside a southern Illinois home, where two asthma and allergy sufferers live. Built by Oasis Home Construction, the skylights were positioned to maximize the chimney effect: when warm, stale air escapes through open skylights and cool, fresh air is drawn in through lower level windows. In addition to freshening the air inside, the skylights provide ample daylight from above to create a cheerful atmosphere. 

Skylight Cousins

The lesser known cousin to traditional skylights is the VELUX Sun Tunnel Skylight. Despite its smaller size, it is just as bright as a traditional skylight and is better at spreading the light throughout the room. This is due to the highly reflective material of the tube in combination with the diffuser disc at the ceiling level.
Also, because of the Sun Tunnel's design and ease of installation, they are more cost friendly than a traditional skylight. So go ahead, light up every room.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly way to bring more natural light into your home without compromising quality, the VELUX Sun Tunnel is the skylight for you.

Give us a call today to get your free estimate: 707-527-5330
Or click here to visit our website.

Part Four: Four Reasons You Need More Natural Light

Last week, in part three, we looked at how having more natural light can Reduce Eyestrain and Headaches. If you missed it, you can read it here.

This week we will look at how having more natural light can make A Happier You.

Studies have shown that employees and students in buildings full of natural light are happier, healthier, and more productive than those who are working under electric or fluorescent lighting.

Ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? During the winter, people don't receive as much Vitamin D from the sunlight and can suffer the consequences, such as depression. A similar problem can occur year round if you spend a lot of time under artificial lighting rather than natural sunlight.

Having enough Vitamin D is an important way a person can stay in a good mood. And this vitamin has numerous other benefits as well, including immune system regulation, body weight maintenance, asthma symptom control, and helping the brain to continue working efficiently into later life. The best way to increase your body's Vitamin D generation is exposure to natural light.

While no home is the same, you have a plethora of different choices for adding natural light to yours. Skylights are a perfect solution for improving the brightness in any room in your home. Small skylights or tube skylights can even fit into small spaces where you wish you had more light, including bathrooms, stairways, hallways, closets and laundry rooms. Venting skylights can lower temperatures and improve the air circulation in your home. New, high quality skylights are much more energy efficient than skylights from even ten years ago.

             

 

If your house is dimly lit, it may be time to add natural lighting. Naturalight Solar offers a large selection of skylights to help you live a healthier, brighter life. With our experts here to help you, you can find the right skylight and have it installed in a matter of days.

You can receive a complimentary budget estimate to enhance your home or office 

if you call 707-527-5330 or click here. 

Part Two: Four Reasons You Need More Natural Light

In last week's post we talked about using natural light to be more energy efficient. If you missed it, you can read it here.

This week we are looking at reason two for needing more natural light: Better Sleep Cycle.

Have you ever experienced trouble falling asleep at night? Or staying awake at school or work during the post-lunch hours? Though it may seem counter-intuitive at first, these feelings of sleeplessness and sleepiness can be caused by the same thing: the type of lighting you are exposed to during the day. For a lot of us, this lighting is electric rather than natural sunlight, and with time, it can have a huge effect on our bodies.

All light, whether it is electric or natural, has what is called a Kelvin color temperature. Most standard electrical lighting is at 3,500 Kelvin, and remains at this level continuously. However, sunlight can reach levels up to 10,000 Kelvin, and changes throughout the day. These changes that occur in natural light throughout the day and night (moonlight has color temperature, too) are what assist our body's in regulating our circadian rhythms so that we have energy during the day and feel relaxed and ready for sleep in the evening.

Spending so much time inside, under unnatural lighting, upsets these natural rhythms, resulting in both sleeplessness and sleepiness. If you feel like your circadian rhythms are out of sync, consider how much time you spend under unnatural lighting and in front of computer and tv screens during the day. Your body might need help getting back in sync by being exposed to more natural light during the morning and afternoon. Try taking your lunch break outside in the sunshine, adding a skylight to your home or office, or turning off the tv earlier in the evening and going for a walk outside.

Check back next week for more benefits of natural light in Part Three.

Part One: Four Reasons You Need More Natural Light

You may have noticed times when you come inside from a particularly bright day and stumble around the house for a few minutes as your eyes adjust to the much dimmer light inside your home. Our eyes are making these types of adjustments all the time, though usually less dramatically. But why make our eyes work harder when we have the option to add more natural light to our lives?

Do you work under artificial lights during the day? Having electric lights on during the day uses up an amazing amount of electricity, and it's also not very good for your health. Adding more natural lighting could make all the difference in your health and mood. There are more risks than you may think by using fluorescent light in your under-lit home.  Fluorescent lighting creates emission of treacherous chemicals like sulfur dioxide, carbon, and mercury into the environment.

We have four reasons for you to consider letting that sunlight into your home. In this first post we will talk about Energy Efficiency & Environmental Impact.

By increasing your home's exposure to the sun with new-age, thermal, energy efficient windows and doors, you will reduce the use of your electric lighting. This reduction of electric lighting and increase in natural lighting has a three-fold effect. Using less electricity, and especially fluorescent lighting, will reduce chemical emissions and your carbon footprint. It will also lower your electric bill, saving you money. And, having fewer chemicals in your environment and exposure to more natural light is better for your health. You could also use venting skylights to not only bring in more sunlight, but also fresh air into your home.

The boons of natural light don't end here, check back next week for Part Two!

VELUX SUN TUNNEL Skylights are for All Roof Types

In just one day, we installed one 10" and two 14" VELUX SUN TUNNEL skylights to dramatically brighten the kitchen and bathrooms of this Sonoma County home. Standing in close proximity to surrounding two story homes which shade the windows, the Sun Tunnels bring in additional natural light from the sunny rooftop without compromising privacy. 

The rooftop photos show the clean look of the Sun Tunnels on a flat tile roof. Sun Tunnels can be installed on all roof types, though some require additional labor and special flashings. However, in most cases, the tubular skylights remain the most efficient, effective, and affordable option for bringing natural light into your home. 

Center-Pivot VELUX Roof Window

The VELUX center-pivot (GGU) roof window is great for "in-reach" applications. Check out this video from "Living Big in a Tiny House" to see the center-pivot roof window in action in a tiny house.

You can find more details about VELUX roof windows HERE.

Too Hot & Too Dark...VELUX Solar "Fresh Air" Skylight to the Rescue

Is your home hot, stuffy, and dark?
See what a Velux solar "fresh air" skylight can do for you.

Summer days in the living room of this Santa Rosa home were unbearably hot and stuffy. With no way for the heat to escape, it rose to the ceiling and stayed there, overheating the whole room. Also, because of the wood interior, the room was quite dark. The owners decided to install a VELUX solar operable four by two foot "fresh air" skylight to get rid of the heat and brighten things up.

The skylight installation was completed in two days, with a total budget of $4,900. The VELUX solar operable "fresh air" skylight gives them the opportunity for a 30% federal tax credit of $1,470, reducing the net cost of the skylight addition to $3,430.

What was once an over-heated, dimly lit room now has lots of natural light and much better ventilation. 

We love our skylight. It has added much more than just light to our home. We can see the oak tree and feel a bit more of the outside beauty of our home. We LOVE how much hot air it lets out of a previously uncomfortably warm room. The rain sensor works every time, and we don't have to remember to close the skylight if rain is imminent. Thank you for the beautiful workmanship and attention to detail.                                                                                         ~Emily &Bryan

Learn More Here

More Coffee or More Sunlight?

      Have you ever experienced trouble falling asleep at night? Or staying awake at school or work during the post-lunch hours? These feelings of sleeplessness and sleepiness are often caused by the type of lighting we are exposed to throughout the day. For a lot of us, this lighting is electric rather than natural sunlight, and with time, it can have a huge affect on our bodies.

      All light, whether it is electric or natural, has what is called a Kelvin color temperature. Most standard electrical lighting is at 3,500 Kelvin, and remains at this level throughout the day. However, sunlight can reach levels up to 10,000 Kelvin, and changes throughout the day.

Certain levels, usually 4,500 to 6,500 Kelvin, allow our bodies to feel more awake and energized. In the evening, the natural color temperature decreases, allowing our bodies to slow down and progress naturally towards sleep. In other words, the changing color temperature throughout the day and night (the moonlight has color temperature, too) assists in regulating our body’s circadian rhythms.

      Spending so much time inside, under unnatural lighting, upsets these natural rhythms. Studies have shown that computer, television, and cell phone screens all give off light that has higher levels of blue light (a higher color temperature), a quality that tells our brains and bodies that it is time to be awake and active—which contradicts going to sleep right after using them.

      In some hospitals and care facilities they are using lighting in the evenings that has more red light (a lower color temperature) because it creates the opposite effect of blue light. It is calming, relaxing, and good for sleeping.

 By creating ways for abundant natural light to enter a living or work space, we can create indoor spaces that will balance your circadian rhythms and create a healthy, comfortable environment that will give you energy and help you sleep!
   

Skylights are the perfect way to let abundant natural light into your home that will make you feel good!

Call us today for a free estimate! (707) 527-5330.

***

 If you are interested in reading more about Kelvin light temperature, check out the source for this article here: “Human Centric Lighting” by Stan Walerczyk: http://humancentriclighting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Stan-Article-SSL1.pdf 

and the Human Centric Lighting Website: http://humancentriclighting.com

Natural light improves your life

Are you falling asleep on the job?

Lack of sunlight in the workplace is a misdemeanor.

The more you miss, the meaner you get.

Several independent studies have shown that the lack of natural light can lead to drowsiness, poor health, bad attitude, and low productivity.

• Schools that make use of skylights and tubular skylights see better concentration and improved test scores.
• Natural lighting in stores produces higher profits and more pleasant employee/customer relations.
• Customers are more relaxed in day-lit stores and can see the products and labels clearly.
• Customers seem to have positive feelings about the day-lit stores and identify those stores with an airy clean feeling.
• A store with skylights is observed to have a higher sales index than an equivalent store without natural light.
• Skylights increase productivity in manufacturing buildings and morale in office buildings.

There is a definite relationship between day-lighting and human performance and there additional benefits to natural lighting as well:

• Lowers your power bills by reducing electricity used to illuminate the room
• Brings less heat into interior spaces unlike electric lights
• Reduces your carbon footprint

Increase your daylight delight.

Call Naturalight today to get a free estimate.

Total Home and Garden Show, Vacaville, this Weekend

Come to the Nut Tree Complex in Vacaville this weekend, April 16-18, to kick off your home improvements at the Total Home and Garden Show. Naturalight will be there with the next generation of VELUX® Skylights and SUN TUNNELS. Revitalize your home and yourself with free, nourishing daylight.

You can find all your skylight needs at D'House of D'Light, our large yellow display trailer in the outside exhibit area. Choose from the full line of VELUX® products for light, ventilation and a view--whether from roof windows, operable, or fixed skylights. And don't forget tubular skylights for those confined, hard-to-access spaces like closets and hallways, where you just need daylight.

Control the light that enters your room using only the power of the sun. There's a 30% federal tax credit available on solar blinds. Take advantage of their innovative design operated by remote control. Available in both blackout and roller blind versions.

Hot water never felt so good... with a VELUX® solar water heating system. Save an average of 50 to 80% on your water heating bills using free and unlimited sunlight. Reduce your carbon footprint and take advantage of State incentives and Federal tax credits.

We've rolled back prices to roll with the times, so daylighting is more budget-friendly than ever. Plus, 12 month financing options are available. You'll love the savings on your energy bill once you're more energy-efficient and earth-friendly, too.

Hours: Friday: 12pm - 6pm, Saturday: 10am - 6pm, Sunday: 10am -5pm

Admission Fees: $5 Adults, Kids Free 12 and under (Adult supervision required)

Nut Tree Complex: 50 Nut Tree Road, Vacaville, CA 95688