How to Use Your Home’s Natural Lighting Effectively

Natural light is proven to boost your alertness, energy, mood, and concentration. Your home contributes to these qualities when you know how to use your home’s natural lighting effectively. Baker Residential develops energy-efficient new home communities and townhome communities with natural light in mind. Whenever possible, we try to face homes to the east to capitalize on sunlight. Here are our suggestions for harvesting that sunlight.

• Open your curtains. Pull back the curtains and drapes and pull up the shades during the day. 
• Unblock the view. Design your room’s layout so that furniture isn’t blocking large windows or sliding glass doors. Remove large items displayed in the windowsills or in front of your windows.
• Lighten up your room’s colors. Light colors reflect light while dark colors absorb it. Keep this in mind when choosing the colors for your walls, trim, and flooring (including rugs).
• Place mirrors strategically. A mirror can make your room seem larger, and it can also boost the brightness. Hang your wall mirrors where they can reflect the sunlight coming through the windows, like nature’s light bulb!
• Choose a front entry door with windows. If the front of your home is a perfect source for sunlight, consider swapping your front door for one that has glass panels. You can still have privacy with the right choice of glass.
• Go bigger with your windows. When planning your new home, look at the size and placement of the windows. Talk to your builder about ways to use windows for more daylight. Determine where the sun rises and sets so you can decide how to capture the light and fill your home with the warmth and energy of this natural source.
• Wash your windows regularly. You might be surprised at how much a dirty window filters out sunlight. If you don’t “do windows”, hire someone to wash them for you a few times a year.
• Eliminate the outdoor sun-blockers. Trim back the shrubs and tree branches that prevent sunlight from reaching your windows. 

The right windows in the right places will enhance the quality and comfort of your home. Perk up your household with natural energy booster.

Baker Residential designs single-family homes and townhomes that take full advantage of natural light. Our energy efficient approach to home building uses the most advanced methods to provide comfort and quality in each home and with lasting value that comes from conserving energy