Boomers join the green movement with natural light

by | Mar 4, 2009 | 5, 8, 9, Articles

<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3" color="#990000">Boomers join the green movement with natural light</font></h2><p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt">(ARA) – Older Americans who add more natural light to their living quarters when they move or remodel benefit from improved vision and mood in a safer environment. And daylighting, which utilizes no energy and carries no ongoing costs, is another benefit to the pocketbook of boomers on fixed incomes.</span></p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Boomers know that as they age their eye lenses thicken and their pupils shrink. This causes their eyes to adapt more slowly to changing light conditions and increases the need for light.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">According to the Center of Design for an Aging Society in Portland, Ore., older people need about three to five times more light than younger people for both vision and maintaining health.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/8c.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/8c.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Many seniors don’t get outside enough; another reason to bring more natural light in, especially when remodeling. Studies show that Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD — evidenced by emotional depression, a drop in physical energy, increased appetite and need for more sleep — is directly linked to a lack of sufficient daylighting. </p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Some researchers conclude that light therapy may help to alleviate SAD symptoms faster than antidepressant drugs. In a review of clinical trials of light therapy, Dr. Daniel Kripke at the University of California, San Diego, reported that light therapy benefits not only SAD patients but also people suffering from other forms of depression.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Sunlight can enter dwellings and be balanced through the use of windows, doors and skylights. According to Joe Patrick, senior product manager with VELUX America, studies conducted in Denmark show skylights admit 30 percent more light than vertical windows in dormers, and provide the drama of a sky view that can’t be achieved with vertical windows. And balanced natural light from multiple sources can help to reduce glare, a particularly disorienting nuisance for people of all ages with glaucoma or cataracts.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">"Skylights also offer much more privacy than vertical windows without taking up valuable wall space that can be used for decorating or storage, a real benefit as seniors downsize living spaces," Patrick says.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">He points out that venting skylights — utilizing their natural chimney effect to exhaust rising, stale air containing volatile organic compounds and other indoor pollutants to which older people are particularly sensitive — can contribute to a healthier indoor environment.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">"And from an economic standpoint, ENERGY STAR-qualified venting skylights admit natural light from above and reduce energy costs while transforming living areas into bright, safer spaces," Patrick says. "And they provide a dose of the medicine that daylight and fresh air offer. It’s also a way to stretch fixed-income dollars with a one-time purchase that pays benefits over time by reducing the need for artificial lighting and cutting energy costs."</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">In areas where traditional skylights aren’t needed or won’t fit, cost-effective, passive light to further reduce energy costs is available with models like the Sun Tunnel tubular skylight. These less expensive units are particularly useful in hallways, closets, interior baths and other smaller, confined areas needing more natural light.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/8a.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/8a.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">For free information on the benefits of natural light and skylight selection, or for free house plans incorporating skylights, call (800) 283-2831 or visit veluxusa.com. For government information on window and skylight energy efficiency visit energystar.gov, and for independent agency information visit nfrc.org or efficientwindows.org. For information about aging in place, see seniorresource.com</p>  <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt">Courtesy of ARAcontent</span></p></span>