EFFICIENT USE OF DAY LIGHTING

Introduction: Day lighting is the use of windows and skylights to bring sunlight into your home. Today's
highly energy-efficient windows, as well as advances in lighting design, reduce the need for artificial lighting
during daylight hours without causing heating or cooling problems.

Day lighting is the practice of placing windows, skylights, other openings, and reflective surfaces so that
sunlight (direct or indirect) can provide effective internal lighting. Particular attention is given to day lighting
while designing a building when the aim is to maximize visual comfort or to reduce energy use.

The source of all daylight is the Sun. The proportion of direct to diffuse light impacts the amount and quality
of daylight. "Direct sunlight" reaches a site without being scattered within Earth's atmosphere. Light that is
scattered in the atmosphere is diffused daylight. Ground reflected light also contributes to the daylight. Each
climate has different composition of these daylights and different cloud coverage, so day lighting strategies
vary with site locations and climates.

Windows are the most common way to admit daylight into a space. Their vertical orientation means that
they selectively admit sunlight and diffuse daylight at different times of the day and year. Therefore,
windows on multiple orientations must usually be combined to produce the right mix of light for the
building, depending on the climate and latitude.

Clerestory windows: Another important element in creating day lighting is the use of clerestory windows.
These are high, vertically placed windows. They can be used to increase direct solar gain when oriented
towards the equator. When facing toward the sun, clerestories and other windows may admit unacceptable
glare.

Skylights: Skylights are light transmitting fenestration forming all or a portion of the roof of a building space.
Skylights are widely used in day lighting design in residential and commercial buildings, mainly because they
are the most effective source of daylight on a unit area basis.

The best way to incorporate day lighting depends on your climate and design.

The sizes and locations of windows should be based on the cardinal directions. For example:

 South-facing windows allow most winter sunlight into the home but little direct sun during the
summer, especially when properly shaded.

 North-facing windows admit relatively even, natural light, producing little glare and almost no
unwanted summer heat gain.

 East- and west-facing windows provide good daylight penetration in the morning and evening,
respectively, but may cause glare, admit a lot of heat during the summer when it is usually not
wanted, and contribute little to solar heating during the winter.