How to Maximize Daylighting With Your Windows

When it comes to our energy-efficient replacement windows, there are many ways on how you can maximize their performance. One way to do this is through daylighting, which is especially useful during the summer months.

Daylighting and How It Works 

Daylighting is the controlled admission of direct and natural light into a home or building to reduce electric lighting and save energy. A daylighting system can consist of just skylights and windows, but it can also be coupled with a daylight-responsive lighting control system. With enough ambient lighting provided from daylight alone, this type of system can effectively reduce the need of electric lighting power by as much as one-third. It also helps create a visually stimulating and productive environment indoors.

How Daylighting Can Work for You

Daylighting employs systems, technologies and architecture. For instance, windows in your home must be designed in such a way that avoids the direct admittance of the sun’s rays. If this is unavoidable, you can make use of glare remediation devices, such as blinds or shades. The science behind designing the right daylighting system for your home is not just how to provide enough daylight to your home, but also how to do it without its unwanted side effects. Aside from adding windows or skylights to a space, you also need to carefully balance heat gain and loss, glare control and variations in daylight availability.

Here’s What You Need to Consider.

• Know where you live – This means knowing your local environment and its specific climate, solar path and orientation as well as how you can use it for leverage. To do this, you need to determine your area’s daily climatic cycle, whether there’s fog during the mornings or afternoons, and where the sun rises and sets on your home. You can consult with our locally trusted window contractors; they can also help you determine how you can maximize your daylighting with your replacement windows as well as the type of glazing used and shading strategies.
• Plan ahead – Implementing effective daylighting in your home means thinking of a systematic evaluation and programming of the opportunities presented by your home, building its location, solar orientation and illumination needs of the various rooms. Afterwards, comprehensive schematics should be prepared.
• Use shading devices – Exterior shading devices can be either horizontal, vertical or a combination of horizontal and vertical called “egg crates”. Horizontal shades provide effective shading on the south facade of your home, especially when the sun altitude is high. On the other hand, vertical shades are effective when the sun is low and the broad side of the vertical elements faces the sun.

Whether you’re looking for a professional to help you plan your daylighting system or just need a reliable windows replacement, we have you covered. Call Renewal by Andersen® of San Francisco today at (866) 609-5033, or you can reach us online by filling out our contact form. We serve San Francisco and surrounding areas.