northlight roof

[laptopsteve]

why does a roof called a northlight face north when the sun is best from the south in england?

[Ethel]

This is an American site but gives good explanations under 'prefer north light':

http://urbanafreelibrary.org/departments/prese ntations/lighting/avoidglare.html

I agree a south facing garden can be lovely but a living area with south facing windows has it's downsides - curtains and soft furnishings fade, glare on tv and pc screens means the curtains have to be drawn at times during the day, can be quite headache making.

North light avoids all these problems whilst providing soft and restful daylight,

[Lil O'lady]

They were used in the northern mills to flood the workspace with light without getting the loomshop too boiling hot (chance'd be a fine thing in Burnley)