Is your house dark and cramped? Does it seem dim no matter how sunny it is outside? You may need a window upgrade. Bigger windows with more glass surface can maximize your natural light intake while at the same time increasing comfort, functionality and energy efficiency. Take advantage of one of our most precious resources — sunlight – with new windows to kick off the fall season.
You’ll enjoy more hours of sunlight in summer and fall, while squeezing every last drop out of the shortest days of the year in winter. Here are some benefits of upgrading your home with replacement windows, particularly when it comes to increasing natural light.
· Get a Mood Boost: Perhaps you’ve heard of something called seasonal affective disorder. According to the American Psychiatric Association, five percent of adults in the United States experience SAD and this disorder lasts about 40 percent of the year. SAD involves short periods of time where people feel sad and down — unlike their usual selves. You could call them the “winter blues” but SAD isn’t confined just to the winter months. Studies show that natural light can improve mood and sleep, while reducing agitation, fatigue, and depression.
- More natural light in your home enhances both mental and physical health. In fact, sunlight exposure can increase the production of vitamin D, which contributes to a strong immune system as well as strong bone health.
- One way to increase sunlight access is to install more and larger windows, preferably positioned to face the south. Bonus: this increases serotonin levels in winter.
· Increase Productivity: Sunlight simply makes people happier, which leads to greater rates of productivity. It increases well-being, energy, and focus, which can come in quite handy for when you work from home or just when you need to get chores done. In addition to an energy boost, a well-lit home is more joyful, welcoming, and open.
- Feeling unmotivated, foggy, and fatigued? You can fix those feelings with more natural sunlight. There are ways you can maximize this light: position your desk under or near a large window to increase alertness and energy.
· Cut Stress and Anxiety: When you spend just a half hour in the mornings in the presence of natural light, you can develop better coping skills while warding off anxiety-provoking feelings and situations. Why? Sunlight stimulates the parts of your brain that are responsible for handling feelings like stress and anxiety. This helps you get more efficient when it comes to stabilizing your emotions.
Tips For Increasing Natural Light in Your Home
You’ve probably resigned yourself to just opening up curtains throughout your home to get more natural light. But if you truly want to maximize natural lighting throughout the whole home, try a combination of:
- Interior design
- Strategic window placement
- Window selection
- Window treatments
- Here are some more tips to make it all work:
- Clean your windows regularly so more light can pass through.
- Choose window designs with a large glass area and slim frame, such as picture and slider windows.
- Use lightweight, translucent curtains, shades and blinds for privacy without compromising natural light.
- Position a row of three or more windows on large walls, side by side.
- Install a skylight in rooms where extra windows are not an option.
- Replace your standard-sized double hung windows with floor-to-ceiling windows.
- Consider placement. East- and west-facing windows will capture the sun at both sunrise and sunset, while north-facing windows will give you consistent, indirect light. South-facing windows give you more sun in winter and less in summer.
Contact Hi-Tech Windows and Siding for Bright New Windows!
If you’re craving more natural light in your home, it’s time for a window upgrade. The team at Hi-Tech Windows and Siding can install high-quality Sunrise windows to not only increase the natural light flowing through your home but boost your curb appeal and comfort as well. Call us now at 800-851-0900 or Request a Quote on your next replacement window upgrade.