Chicago

Today’s Automated Technology Enhances a Home’s Natural Lighting Effortlessly

The foundation of your home’s lighting system is the ambient light that sets the tone and provides overall illumination. In many homes, one of its essential sources is the natural light that streams through windows. Breathtaking in its beauty and power, it can transform a home’s interior, becoming a primary source of ambient light during the day while providing the healing benefits inherent in sunlight.

The problem? It also damages a home’s interior, causing fading and discoloration on hardwood floors, furniture, and priceless artwork and photographs. 

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Energy, 75% of window coverings in homes remain in the same position. As direct, harmful UV rays enter a house along with excessive heat, people close their shades, and there they stay. In the process, the beauty and health benefits of sunlight are lost.

Fortunately, there is a better way, and it’s called motorized shades. Let’s discover what this automated technology offers your home in Chicago, IL. 

SEE ALSO: 7 Questions to Ask Before Adding a Home Automation System

Today’s Architecture and Natural Lighting

As more interior designers and architects incorporate natural light into a home’s aesthetics, skylights, large windows, and other daylighting strategies are becoming the norm. While manual shades were never designed for convenience, these types of architectural windows make it nearly impossible to control sunlight and privacy.

Motorized shades make managing this light effortless. These shades operate via sensors, programming, one-touch, and voice control. Our automation experts at Hi Solutions program them to respond to levels of sunlight, temperature changes, and your preferences. 

They may open in the morning, providing the benefits of diffuse, early sunlight. At midday, the shades on south-facing windows lower, reducing direct sunlight, while those on the north-facing windows receiving indirect light remain open. Press the ‘Movie Night’ icon on a touchscreen, and the shades in the media room automatically close.

The ideal levels of natural and electric lighting remain consistent throughout your home, creating the perfect ambiance in every moment.

Regulating Health with Natural Light

Your circadian rhythm, the body’s internal time clock, regulates the production of many of your body’s hormones. These hormones are responsible for your overall health and well-being, including your sleep-wake cycle. 

This system relies on cues from nature, particularly the changing nature of light and darkness, to operate at its peak. Early morning sunlight streaming through the windows and entering your eyes prompts the release of serotonin, your “happy” hormone. Darkness initiates the production of melatonin, your “sleepy” hormone. 

Motorized shades support this cycle by managing daylight and darkness. Throughout the day, they bring in filtered sunlight. In the evening, they block out external lights. The result is more energy during the day and a restful sleep at night. 

We’ve only scratched the surface of the benefits and beauty automated solutions, including window coverings, offer your home. To learn more about motorized shades or to schedule a complimentary consultation, contact Hi Solutions today.