Living with the sun means solar panels right? Not necessarily. It is much, much more.
The power of the sun is a free resource that can be captured to do lots of things including: helping to heat your house, reducing your electric bill, keeping you healthier, cheering up your house or office, and feeding your indoor plants. Harnessing that power is as easy as uncovering your windows during the day.
Passive Heat
So what if your house isn’t passive solar – operate it like it is and enjoy free warmth and a healthier you.
Simplistically a building designed to optimize passive solar heat has large windows facing south that are shielded from the summer sun but allow all the winter sun to flood in.
Yours may or may not be designed with passive solar in mind. So what? Even though a building doesn’t face south or have large windows, being aware of where the sun shines into rooms allows you to maximize the amount of passive heat you can capture. I have a friend that says you should actively operate your house as if you are sailing a boat – he says, ‘Sail Your House’ – I like that!
- During the day – let the sun shine in and let your rooms absorb the heat from the sun. Open up the shutters and the curtains. Remove heavy drapes and valances from south facing windows.
- At night – close them up again to retain the heat and block out the cold.
Natural Ventilation
Take a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. How does the air in your house smell? Fresh? Clean? Stale? Musty? Regardless of the 
answer, your house probably needs an infusion of fresh outdoor air. Make a change by periodically opening the windows for some natural ventilation. Be creative with your window opening to maximize the amount of air moving through. Sometimes nothing moves when you open all of the windows – you create ‘dead space’. Be strategic. Open a few on the top floor and a few on the opposite side of the bottom floor. That way you can maximize the ‘chimney effect’ of your house and move lots of fresh air through.
Only have one floor? Try opening the bottom sash on one side of the house/ apartment/ room and the top sash on the other side.
To keep the air fresh, add a few house plants to scrub away indoor air pollutants. NASA suggests Philodendron and Spider Plants to be most effective,
Daylighting
Opening up window covers to the sun’s warmth has the added benefit of allowing daylight to the room. Where there is daylight there is less need for artificial light. That allows you to turn off the lights
and save on the electric bill. It may also make you healthier. There is a lot of research coming out that stresses the personal health and well being benefits of daylight. These include: reducing eyestrain, getting a better nights sleep through synchronized circadian rhythms, avoiding seasonal affective disorder, and enhancing moods.
Opening the window coverings for daylighting, also opens up your viewshed. Researchers tell us that one key to eye health is diversity in what we look at so that we have to focus on objects near and far. Make sure to exercise your eyes by taking a gander or two at the long distance views.
Natural sunlight is filled with colors that we cannot see. We evolved with the sun as our light source and are adapted to full spectrum lighting. Research is showing that full spectrum light is like a nutrient – like a food that synchronizes our internal clock; our circadian rhythms. With the advent of artificial light we are attempting to meet this biological need
with light limited color spectrum. On average we spend 90% of our time indoors. Much of this time is spent under artificial light. This is exacerbated by the use of TV watching and computer use where our eyes are focused on nearby screens with very little eye movement. We give ourselves very little chance for sun
exposure.
Some experts now believe that the sun’s rays provide more benefits than harm – provided you get the right dose – so schedule some outdoor time every day – say 15-20 minutes. Barring that at least take time every day to gaze out the windows at the trees, the birds and all of the people bustling about. This sun exposure may make you healthier by secreting serotonin, boosting your mood, improving your sleep, synthesizing Vitamin D, enhancing productivity, and increasing positive thoughts.
Biophilia
Opening up window covers helps you be more connected to nature. Biophilia is the innate attraction you and your family have for nature. There are many personal benefits to connection with nature including: being calmer, more focused, and happier, and it helps you sleep and breathe better. In essence, we are more complete and healthier human beings when we are in close touch with nature.
So, sail your house. Open it up to the warmth, colorfulness and freshness of the sun. Pop open the window and let in fresh air and have a healthier house and a healthier, happier you.
Want to read more? Check out:
https://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/reports/14-patterns/
https://www.wellcertified.com/well
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717723/
http://www.usailighting.com/circadian-rhythm-lighting
