All natural, free and readily available year-round, daylight is an eco-friendly and cost-saving lighting choice but did you know it can also enhance the look and feel of your home, its market value and the health and mood of everyone living in it?
High-performing skylights such Tubular Daylighting Systems bring natural light into your home – even on cloudy days – and along with it, four life-enhancing benefits including:
1) Truer colour rendition
True rendition or appearance of colours can only be achieved with natural, not artificial light. This is because natural light has a colour rendering index or CRI of 100, the highest value, while all types of artificial lighting fall below this number, some as low as 50.
Artificial lighting such as LED, Halogen and fluorescent, makes colours look dull or faded, which can give your interiors a tired and worn look and make them less inviting. Adequate natural light is also essential when choosing furnishings, floor coverings and paint colours: a cool white or a warm grey paint you admired in a friend’s natural light-filled home will look very different in your home if you use mainly artificial light.
By bringing in an optimal amount of natural light every day, skylight can instantly transform your living areas, bedrooms and bathrooms from dull and dingy to fresh and inviting and make windowless stairwells and passageways easier and safer to navigate.
2) Lower electricity bills (and no light bulbs to buy)
When your home lacks natural light you depend more on electric lighting, which adds to your energy bills. Did you know that by simply reducing your use of artificial lighting, you can shave up to 15 per cent off your electricity bill?
Skylights can lower your electricity bills further by reducing your need for air-conditioning and fans in the hotter months. Unlike windows and glass-paned doors, quality skylights bring in optimal natural light without unwanted heat and the sun’s damaging UV rays that fade and warp your furnishings.
3) Better mood and health
Research has found that natural light, not artificial light, has a number of good influences our mood and our health.
When we are exposed to natural light our bodies release serotonin, which boosts our energy levels and our overall mood. Serotonin also helps us maintain our circadian rhythms, which influence our daily sleep and waking patterns.
With a better night’s sleep and more energy, we are more likely to exercise, be productive at work and be in a better mood! In fact, according to Beyond Blue Organisation, a good night’s sleep is crucial for both our mental and physical wellbeing.
4) Increased sale appeal
Ask any real estate agent and chances are they will tell you that a natural light-filled home is more appealing to prospective buyers. Real estate agent John Smyth of the Madison Agency in Sydney’s north also believes that natural light can increase the value of a home. “The amount of natural light a home receives can influence its appeal, the length of time it’s on the market and its sale price. A skylight enhances a home even on overcast days,” explains Smyth.
This is why Smyth and many other real estate agents open all the blinds and curtains during open home inspections and often add ‘light-filled’ or ‘light and airy’ to their advertisements.
