Daylighting

Daylighting is the passive solar practice of placing windows and reflective surfaces so that, during the day, natural sunlight provides effective internal illumination.

One important element of creating daylighting is the use of clerestory windows. These are high, vertically-placed windows oriented to the sun to admit sunlight for daylighting: towards the south in the northern hemisphere, and towards the north in the southern hemisphere. Often, these shine onto interior wall surfaces painted white or another light color and placed to reflect indirect light to interior areas.

Another type of device used is the light tube, placed into a roof and admitting light to a focused area of the interior.

Skylightss are often used for daylighting, but have the disadvantages of being prone to leaks and generally energy-inefficient, and are not regarded as a good solution by most qualified solar architects.