March 6, 2022
Why smart lighting solutions are essential for the modern home
Your home may receive more or less natural light depending on the direction the front of your home faces. Sometimes, there isn’t much you can do to change how much natural light your home receives. In that case, what can be done?
Consider smart lighting solutions.
First and foremost, setting up smart lighting solutions is a great way to conserve energy and cut back on your electric bill. A smart lighting system allows you to turn on and off lights from your phone remotely, even when you aren’t physically at home. When you only use lighting in the rooms that really need to be lit, the savings can add up surprisingly fast.
Plus, the latest LED luminaries, which means they use less energy than alternatives like incandescent, halogen, and CFL light bulbs. LED light bulbs use about 25-80% less energy than traditional incandescents, and can also last up to 25 times longer.
Turning the lights up or down has never been easier. With a smart lighting system, you can control brightness by voice command or a custom programmed keypad on the wall or your mobile device. Perfect for movie nights, when getting up from the couch and turning off the lights feels like just too much work. Lighting systems can also be integrated with your security system and will turn the lights randomly while you away to deter intruders or turn the lights fully if an alarm or smoke sensor is tripped.
Lutron is the leading manufacturer of light control products, including luminaries, dimmers, switches, wireless and wired controls. Their products work with voice control systems like Alexa, so that it’s easy for you to adjust your lighting by voice command.
Quality of the light is another important aspect of the entire lighting system. Choose high quality fixtures with CRI above 90+. CRI will render the proper light and colors will look correct. It’s especially important for the art and other critical tasks that require proper color rendering. High quality fixtures will keep the light output much longer and will be consistent with each other.
Lutron recently partnered with Ketra Lighting to continue providing a full lighting solution. Ketra provides tunable white light luminaries and bulbs that can change during the day and can be programmed to extend daylight in those short winter days. A lot of research focused on the importance of light on the circadian rhythm and how it can be improved if we’re staying indoors 80% of the time.
The number of smart lighting options available give you the flexibility and freedom to be creative in your home space. The way a room is lit can even affect whether a room appears large or small.
Lighting installation can often be tailored to each room and adjusted depending on a room’s specific purpose. Focus lighting can be installed in a home office space or other spaces used for reading or studying. Rooms used for entertaining can even be enhanced with color-changing light bulbs, setting the mood for social gatherings at home that really kick it up a notch.