Think of the places you feel happiest and most productive. Now think about the light in these places. The chances are they are flooded with natural daylight, making you feel bright and giving a sense of space.

However many modern building constructors are mistakenly sacrificing large amounts of daylight in homes, in favour of other features with bad effects on the users of these spaces. Primarily, this is seen through the use of fewer and smaller sized windows in newer homes – resulting in far less daylight reaching those inside.

Is Light Important?

Absolutely. It’s almost essential to have a good amount of daylight in your home for a number of reasons;

• Mental Health – you are likely to feel happier and have a greater sense of wellbeing when you’re in a space with natural daylight rather than artificial light or darkness.
• Vitamins – natural daylight helps to produce both Vitamin D and Serotonin. These have been proven to help mental, spiritual and physical health as well as assisting recovery from illness.
• Productivity – natural daylight helps people reach higher levels of productivity than those in artificially lit environments or those not exposed to light.
• Sense of Space – light helps to create a sense of space within a home and can brighten up small dingy areas.

What’s a Glazing Ratio?

When you start to research daylight in homes, you may come across the term ‘glazing ratio’. This refers to the window area to floor area within a home.

There’s been a noticeable drop in the glazing ratios of homes built in the past decade. Many are now built with ratios far below 20%.

Ratios of as low as 10% are permitted on buildings however it is essential to consider the effect that this may have on those living in the properties or working there.

Levels of glazing ratio required vary depending on the home and its location. Many homes, especially those in more tropical areas of Australia have a low glazing ratio due to the abundance of natural daylight. However homes in sub tropical areas need higher glazing ratios.

Think Usage

If you’re really struggling with how much daylight your home can get, why not think about the different areas and how you use them?

Obviously you’ll want a good amount of daylight in your kitchen, living area and office space. Introducing skylights to your home is a fantastic way to increase natural light in your high-usage living spaces while also reducing your energy costs.

If you do need to prioritise in your home, you can have slightly less natural light in your bedrooms or areas that you don’t generally use throughout the day.

If you’d like to discuss how you can leverage and manage natural light in your home, contact us today to speak with one of our knowledgeable team.