It’s Only Natural: How Light in Your Home Really Affects Your Life

As the days get longer, we rely less on table lamps and overhead lights to brighten up our home spaces. During the warmer months, natural light will flood into our homes to create a warm vibrance that no artificial filament can replicate.

But beyond getting your fix of vitamin D, how else does natural light in your home affect your lifestyle? From improved personal well-being and lower energy bills to increased cleanliness within your home, take a look as we shine a light on the benefits of sunlight through your windows.

Sustainability
More natural light in your home means that you’re less likely to use electric lighting. While this point may seem obvious, in terms of sustainability, it’s an important point to consider.

Lighting accounts for nearly five per cent of global CO2 emissions. Even a switch to more efficient LED technology could save millions of tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. However, the most efficient and sustainable choice is to not use electric lights at all, when possible.

Larger windows can mean more light and less electricity. This means you could be making savings during the day. Considering improvements in their insulative properties, the solar gains during daylight hours in the summer mean that glass can outperform insulated walls for limiting your home energy use.

Health
The benefits of vitamin D are well known. We know that healthy bones, teeth, and muscles are a consequence of the nutrients we receive from stimulating sunlight. But adding more natural light into your home can have even further advantages.

And did you know ultraviolet rays from the sun are naturally antibacterial? This means that more natural light in your home can reduce the production of harmful bacteria and organisms that develop on surfaces and in the air.

For personal health, natural light also achieves a variety of boosting bonuses. Sunlight can help stimulate appetite and improve digestion. It can improve circulation and your immune system. It can also help you sleep better at night while boosting your overall energy levels.

Economy
Similar to the environmental benefits of natural sunlight, allowing more natural light into your house can be economically advantageous. Reducing your electricity and energy consumption will help lower your bills.

Artificial lighting accounts for 16 per cent of British electricity bills. This is significant considering the current rise in costs associated with powering your home. Electricity prices increased by 36 per cent between 2020 and 2021.

Living in a more energy-efficient home that is built with larger windows to let in more natural light, such as a house in Newton le Willows, can help lower electricity and energy bills, meaning more money in your back pocket.

Mental wellbeing
An extra spot of natural light in your home can help boost your mental wellbeing and help you feel generally more energised and productive. For those working from their home office, more natural light in the home can breathe new life into the hybrid living and working space.

Exposure to sunlight helps trigger the release of the hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is commonly known as the happy hormone, thanks to its natural ability to boost your mood and well-being.

Serotonin also helps you sleep better. After a day in natural light, as the evening gets darker, a combination of serotonin and reduced lighting prepares the body for a good night’s sleep. Natural sunlight in your bedroom in the morning also helps put a spring in your step and starts the day on the right side of the bed.

Natural light has many benefits in the home. From improving how you sleep to how you work, and how you save both money and the planet, allowing more sunlight in your home is an all-round great idea. By finding a new home with larger, insulated windows, you can enjoy a brighter and warmer lifestyle.