Seeing the light

Introduction

One of the most important things that supports life on the planet, and one of the fundamental things we need as humans, is natural light. It allows plants to grow, it provides warmth and it allows us to see what we are doing when going about our everyday lives. So it is no surprise that in creating new homes the amount of light that they let in is of great importance. In this free course, Seeing the light, we explore what natural light gives us in our lives and the other benefits it can bring. We are dependent for our natural light on the Sun, but the Sun also brings us heat and energy. 

This course will teach you about how the Sun affects your home, both in terms of light and warmth and the energy it generates. You will learn about how it can affect your health and wellbeing, and how homes in different climates are designed differently to maximise the benefits of the Sun. You’ll start by seeing the consequences of living without enough light, before going on to think about how building shapes and orientations can affect our comfort levels in terms of warmth and light. You’ll complete some practical exercises in your own home, or a building you are familiar with, and to end the course you will review your work.

This OpenLearn course provides a sample of level 1 study in Science [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]