Home Natural Lighting Ideas

Here are lighting ideas for homes that get little natural light. Ideas include lighting options that won’t noticeably change temperatures in summer or winter. Lighting in a home became important to me since the inside of our 2,300 square foot house got little sun, despite Southern California’s generous amounts of sunshine.

Our living room windows face south, the middle of our house had no window access, and the bedrooms face north. The only room that gets ample sun is our kitchen through the southeast window.

We looked into skylights and light tubes as a way of adding light inside our family room and dining rooms. We were concerned about how well sealing could be along the base of skylights. The other problem is our roof is low slope and then it becomes flat. Skylights were not a practical option, plus we were concerned about them letting in too much heat during the highest temperatures in August and September.

We discovered Solatube in the home improvement pavilion at the Los Angeles County fair. The material used to create reflections inside the tube and send the light inside the home seemed superior to material used in other light tubes available through stores like Home Depot. Lighting tubes use no electricity to produce the light.

Here’s how Solatube describes it products: Our products are not skylights. They are high-performance daylighting systems that use advanced optics to significantly improve the way daylight is harnessed. Discover a new opportunity for natural lighting.

Solatube products are almost not noticeable on our roof. Their cap only sticks up several inches high. An optional lighting fixture makes it useable at night. We have found that even during days with heavy cloud cover, it lets in light. At nighttime, it can reflect light off the moon, depending on the phase of the moon.

Solatubes can have flexible tubing to fit the contour of tight attic and roof spaces. One tube can light a space ranging from 100 square feet (10 x 10) to 600 square feet (20 x 30).

Other trademarked names include Sun-Domes and Sun Tunnels.

Another way to produce natural light inside a house may include a garden window off the kitchen. A garden window for us opened up our kitchen and made the appearance brighter. The garden window has about two feet of shelf space allowing for extra storage or serving as a place to grow herb plants.

Other options to consider for increased natural light in the home could include bay windows off a kitchen nook or living room.

Sliding glass doors leading to patios may give an open feeling and allow for greater visibility outside a house leading to a backyard or side yard. Sliding glass doors have a more indirect way of lighting when compared to tubular lighting, but they can work effectively. The doors will reduce the insulation value where they are installed.

The organization PATH (Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology) writes on its website: Good lighting begins with the effective use of sunlight. Consider the size, location and primary function of the windows. Will the window frame a view, capture prevailing breezes, allow adequate light, provide architectural balance?

Natural light in a home, office, or retail outlet can lead to greater productivity and reduce electric use. Greater natural light can also aid in safety, especially if used to light up dark corners or stairwells for seniors staying in their homes as long as possible and for families of any age. A study on bringing greater natural light into a home is an affordable way to improve the appearance and use of a home.