How to Maximize Daylight Exposure in Your Home

Looking for more daylight exposure in your home? You’re not alone. Natural light can make a home look more attractive and make it feel larger.

Roof top windows and skylights are the perfect tool for harnessing and channeling natural sunlight into your home. They can transform the darkest of rooms into a beautiful, sun-soaked space. 

Here are some tips on how to maximize the daylight exposure in your home and get the most out of your rooftop windows. 

Consider Your Orientation

There are several schools of thought when it comes to window orientation. 

If you want to get the most sunlight possible coming through your rooftop windows, you need to create a direct path for light to travel. East-facing windows will give you bright, inspiring daylight in the morning, while west-facing windows will give you a rich, golden hour lighting towards the evening. 

If you want to slightly offset the direct sunlight, the best solution is south-east or south-west orientation. Southern-facing windows are great for people living in the northern hemisphere because they will give the most consistent stream of sunlight throughout the day without adding too much heat. 

Remember that light can always be reduced and modulated with roof window blinds, but it cannot be increased, so place your windows in strategic places! 

For design inspiration, check out how to redesign your living room around daylight. 

Work with the Pitch of Your Roof

Velux rooftop windows are designed to fit on roofs of almost all pitches.

If your roof is at a pitch between 15-75º, you are best suited for a Top-Hung Window. These windows open at a hinge from the top, and can be opened up to a 45º angle. These windows are most popularly placed best higher up on the roof, making them perfect for attics and loft-renovation projects.

Roofs above 75º work best with Centre-Pivot Windows, however this type of window can work on any roof between 15-90º. Like the name suggests, these windows move on a pivot around their center. They are best placed on the lower ends of the roof because they can be opened to reveal a nice horizontal view. 

Be mindful of potential obstructions like trees and electric-lines when deciding whether to place your windows high or low on your roof, as these can curb your view and incoming daylight. 

For Flat Roofs, opt for a Skylight

If you have a roof with a pitch between 0-15º, consider adding one or several skylights. Skylights are flat roof windows that create stunning, overhead lighting while add needed dimension to flat roofs. They also do wonders at adding a sense of added space to low, flat ceilings. 

When choosing where to install your skylight, slightly different rules apply. Since they do not face a particular orientation, the main thing you want to consider is what areas of the house you want to add more daylight to. 

Skylights are ideal for rooms that you want to keep bright and open, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Avoid bedrooms as they can be undesirable around the morning hours. 

Clean Your Rooftop Windows Regularly

It may sound obvious but cleaning your rooftop windows can go a long way. When windows get dirty over time, they begin to filter out some of the natural light trying to get into your home. By simply cleaning your windows on a regular basis, you can increase the amount of natural light that successfully gets through your windows and into your home. Accessible windows should be cleaned regularly, while hard to reach windows should be cleaned every 6 months.

For tips on how to get the best clean, check out the full guide to cleaning your rooftop windows. 

Add More Daylight to Your Home with Roof Windows

Ready to discover what rooftop windows and skylights can do for your home’s daylight exposure? Find your perfect rooftop window at the Roof Window Store. Shop now!