Our energy assessors at Energy Rating Perth urge our readers to use daylighting in their building as a key strategy for passive as it can have a significant impact on you electricity bills. Allowing sunlight into your home does not only affect visual comfort but thermal comfort as well. The sun’s path of travel is predictable, daylighting can be a vital light source over artificial lighting.

 

We always urge our clients at Energy Rating Perth to remember the difference between sunlight and daylight. Sunlight is the direct entry of light which also allows heat in and may not be optimum for visual comfort as it harsh light that will causes glare. On the other hand, daylighting is a softer diffused even distribution of light in which the factor of heat may also be reduced. The following steps can be taken for both new builds as well as existing homes to allow daylighting:

 

  1. Massing and orientation to allow daylighting through the east-west façade rather than north-south to allow daylight penetration.
  2. Even distribution of windows with smaller continuous strips rather than one large window otherwise ‘hotspots’ may develop in the room
  3. The use of sky lights, side lights and clerestory windows.
  4. Redirecting light by the use of light shelves.
  5. Using doors with glass blocks or strips rather than solid doors
  6. The use of light coloured walls and polished floors in the interior spaces
  7. Using well placed mirrors in dark rooms to allow light reflection

 

Electric lighting consumes more than 15 percent of your home’s energy consumption and daylighting can help halve that if done efficiently. As energy assessors and building designers at Energy Rating Perth we would like to inform our readers that allowing natural light into your home does not only reduce your energy costs but also has many aesthetic and health benefits that artificial lighting cannot match. Small changes to your home can brighten it up significantly and reduce your energy costs by a manifold.

Call our friendly energy assessors on 6114 9356 to get more information today!