All You Need to Know About Home Lighting Control Systems

When setting up automation systems in your home, it’s essential to blend technology with smart design. These are cool gadgets, but how they’re configured is the difference between a system that merely looks cool and a system that actually makes your life easier. You want the latter.

This principle is true for all smart home technologies, including home lighting control. Today we’ll go through some lighting design tips to create a system that adds beauty to your Lexington, KY, along with the convenience of smart home living.

SEE ALSO: How to Choose the Right Lighting Control System for Your Home

THE BASICS

The first design question when it comes to home lighting control is whether you want a wired or wireless system. Wired systems require new cabling to connect your fixtures to each other and to the control switch, usually placed inside a utility closet. Wired systems cost more than wireless systems because of the extra components and installation time involved. On retrofit projects, this might mean putting some temporary holes in your walls. Once everything is in, however, you have a robust and reliable system.

Wireless systems are cheaper and easier to install because there’s no additional wiring needed. Because of this, wireless systems may better suit your needs if you’re embarking on a retrofit project. The trade-off with wireless systems is the lack of a direct, reliable connection among your devices, which may cause occasional hiccups.

INSTALL LED BULBS

Different bulbs produce dramatically different effects in your home. We recommend LEDs for your lighting control system because they are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs. LEDs are also a safer and more efficient alternative to CFLs.

LEDs also allow for more fine-tuned customization of your home lighting design. Using warm-dimming LED bulbs, you can independently control a fixture’s color temperature and intensity. Now you have many more design options for any given room.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT OUTDOOR LIGHTING

Landscape lighting makes your home shine brighter, both figuratively and literally. Use spotlights and other fixtures to come up with eye-catching designs. When done correctly, outdoor lighting can significantly increase curb appeal and help your home stand out.

INCORPORATE AUTOMATION AND LIGHTING SCENES

You can use home automation systems to create customized lighting scenes to suit your needs. Your system also gives you more direct control over your fixtures. These scenes are preset configurations you design for common activities or moods. You can make scenes that only involve your lights, but it’s much more convenient to create combination scenes involving your lights and other smart devices.

One example of a lighting scene could be a “dinner” scene. You can set your system up to dim your kitchen lights, lower your automated shades, turn on your speakers and fire up a calming playlist. For your outdoor lights, why not create an “Outdoor Party” scene that turns on exterior lights while keeping most other lights off. That way, your guests are less likely to wander off after sunset.

If you’re interested in a home lighting control system for your Lexington home, we’d love to work with you. Call us today at (859) 402-1413 or reach out to us online. You can also check out our library of tutorial videos.