If you’re planning to design and build your next home, you may be focusing on the number and size of the rooms and the type of floor plan. With the right placement of your house on the lot and the right positioning of windows, you’ll be able to control the amount of light that each room receives at different times of day and in different seasons. That can make your home comfortable and relaxing and can help you keep your utility bills down.
How Natural Light Can Benefit Your Health and Your Wallet
Exposure to natural light can make you feel relaxed. It can also help you sleep better, which can have positive effects on your mood, productivity, relationships with others and overall health.
Designing your house in a way that maximizes sun exposure is an easy way to save money. Using artificial lighting can lead to high utility bills, but opening blinds or curtains costs nothing. The more natural light your home gets during the day, the less you’ll have to rely on artificial lighting. In the winter, the sun can naturally warm your house so you won’t have to rely too much on the furnace. Low year-round utility bills can lead to significant savings for as long as you live in your home.
How Your House’s Placement and Design Can Affect Natural Lighting
When designing your custom home, think about the position of the sun at different times of day and when members of your family will use each room. If you want the master bedroom to be bathed in sunlight in the morning, you can place it on the east side of the house so light from the rising sun can filter in through the windows. If you would rather limit early morning sun exposure, you can position the master bedroom in another part of the house and put a common area, such as the kitchen or living room, in an area that will face the sun.
It’s also important to consider the position of the sun in the sky at different times of the year. Placing common areas where they’ll get plenty of winter sunlight can help you control your heating costs. A room that receives the perfect amount of sunlight in the fall and winter may be unbearably hot in the summer, however.
Discuss Your Goals and Concerns With Your Architect
Think carefully about how your family will use your new home and how much light you’ll need at different times. If you focus on using the sun to your advantage, you can design your house in a way that will make it comfortable and will help you keep your utility bills down. Your architect may recommend using different sizes and styles of windows and skylights in various parts of the house, as well as outdoor overhangs, trees and a fence to help you achieve your desired results.
