4 Home Strategies for Maximum Daylighting

Maximizing natural light for indoor illumination has several benefits, such as reduced energy consumption and improved aesthetics. Daylighting has also been proven to have health benefits, including regulating body clocks and promoting healthy amounts of sleep. If you’re looking into investing in replacement windows to optimize your home for daylighting, here are some strategies you should consider.

1. Balanced lighting – It’s important to remember that a room can be overly lit if not planned properly. For example, repeatedly accessing a brightly lit room from a dark hallway causes unnecessary eyestrain. In this case, either you light up the hallway, perhaps installing a window at the end of the hall, or control the room’s brightness through window treatments or specially designed window glass. At Renewal by Andersen®, we can offer our own High-Performance™ Low-E4® SmartSun™ glass.

2. Reflective outdoor surfaces – If you have that room that needs daylighting but can’t have it because of windows positioned at odd angles, placing reflective materials can help. Avoid using metallic surfaces. You can paint the wall or fence opposite the said window instead with white or some other light color. For upper-level rooms, consider having specialty windows installed.

3. Avoid glare – A minor downside of too-bright rooms is the amount of glare it casts in a room. If you happen to have a home office, constant glare can be disruptive if you have glass-screened laptops, desktop monitors, or televisions. Window treatments and treated glass are ideal options.

4. Low-E glass – An important point to remember when optimizing for daylighting is that direct sunlight carries solar heat and UV rays. Single-glazed, untreated glass is the last thing you want on your windows. Choose windows with low Solar Heat Gain Coefficients (SHGC) and low-E glass. Our High-Performance Low-E4 glass options filters solar heat and UV rays while letting through as much natural light as clear glass does.

Renewal by Andersen of Milwaukee can help you make the most of daylighting with our various window options. From our traditional casement window to large picture windows, you can brighten up any room in your home. You can also expect more energy savings because we use insulating glass and frames for your windows.

We are happy to help homeowners in Milwaukee, WI, and the nearby areas. Call us today at (877) 977-3639 or fill out our contact form to schedule your free in-home consultation.