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If your home is looking a little on the dark side, especially as we get into the shorter days of the year, it’s only natural that you want to brighten it up. However, you may want to keep the space energy efficient and avoid sending your lighting bills through the roof, as well. To that end, here, we’re going to look at some of the more eco-friendly ways to welcome more light into your home.
Take Care Of Your Windows
Natural light is the best way to banish darkness from the home. However, you may not be making the best use of it if it can hardly get in through your windows to begin with. Dirty and fogged-up windows can drastically reduce how much sunlight enters your home, so make sure that you’re cleaning them routinely, both inside and out. Frames, sills, and blinds can block light, too, so aim for lighter window treatments, such as replacing heavy curtains with sheerer drapes.
Find New Ways To Let Light In
If your existing windows alone aren’t doing the trick, then you might not have enough to maximise your room’s light exposure. Instead, you might want to look at options like Tuffx rooflights or skylights. These overhead windows can let the sun in directly from above, which can be great for lighting up darker areas like hallways or lofts, and can make sure that a room captures light for longer in the day, which can reduce your reliance on artificial lighting. Make sure that you choose energy-efficient models to prevent the added heat loss in the winter, too.
Make Your Rooms More Reflective
Once you get the light in your home, it becomes all about what you do with it. To that end, your walls, ceilings, and floors can do a lot to improve how light travels through the space. Choosing light-coloured paints, for instance, such as soft whites and pastels, can reflect much more light than darker shades. You can further complement these with satin or semi-gloss finishes that bounce light gently without glare, and reflective surfaces such as mirrors, glass tables, and metallic accents. Strategically placing a large mirror opposite your biggest window can do a ton for how much daylight gets around the home.
Go With The Flow
Aside from using reflective surfaces to bounce light around your rooms, you want to make sure that light is able to flow through without being blocked. To that end, simply rearranging the furniture can make a big difference. Ensure that none of it is blocking your windows, especially bulky pieces like sofas, and extend the direct path of sunlight through the room as much as possible. This gives it more chance to get in and reflect around the room, rather than being stopped at the threshold.
It’s far from impossible to be mindful of your energy use when lighting up your home. With the tips above, you can make it feel much brighter, cleaner, and more welcoming without worrying about your impact on the environment too much.