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Despite the essential role lighting plays in our everyday lives, it’s not something the average person thinks about very often. Clearly, we all need light to see, but lighting plays a much more substantial role than you might have first imagined. Not only does it help set the mood and ambience of a room, but contributes to our mental well-being and how well we sleep too.
But to get the very best from your home’s lighting, you must consider the reliability, flexibility, and how it’s controlled as a complete system – that’s where lighting controls come in.
So, given the increase in demand for lighting control systems across domestic properties, we thought it was time to highlight some of the benefits implementing such a system can have on your home.
Here are five great benefits of home lighting control systems.
With automated home lighting systems, you can ensure you’re getting the right amount of light as and when you need it. This helps to reduce energy usage, resulting in lower electricity bills and a smaller carbon footprint.
So, how is this achieved?
Lighting control systems generally use three types of sensors/controllers to manage when your lights are turned on, off, and dimmed, including:
One of, if not the biggest advantage to home lighting control systems is the ability to select pre-configured lighting scenes. From just the push of a button, you can select a lighting scene perfect for the task at hand. For example, activating a ‘Cooking’ mode could brighten the task lighting above your kitchen counter to improve visibility while preparing food.
With a vast number of scene possibilities, we recommend consulting with a lighting designer for the very best outcome. This will ensure each scene is programmed to illuminate exactly what’s needed, and at the right intensity too.
Typical home lighting systems provide pre-set scenes to accommodate the following scenarios:
At Hampshire Light, we work closely alongside our clients to determine both their lighting goals and requirements. This allows us to provide a home lighting controls specific to their needs and design tailored lighting scenes to support their lifestyle.
Below is a recent example of our work, showcasing 5 scenes customised to our clients’ kitchen activities.
Through activating sensors or even using a smart phone, you can switch on your lights safely to move around during the night – no more blindly reaching for light switches as you head towards the staircase.
As well as improving safety, lighting control systems can be used to enhance the security of your home. By setting your lights to switch on at moment while you’re away, or even frequently during the night, you can help deter thieves from targeting your property.
Lighting control systems can offer various ways to manage the lights in your home. From wall-mounted control centres to hand-held remote controls, you’re able to switch on, off and dim your lighting.
Smart phones, tablets, and laptops can also be used to set the mood in your home.
Technology has come a long way, and many lighting control systems offer integrated applications that give full control over your lights. You can even manage your lighting through voice commands.
So, if convenience is something you like the sound of, a fully integrated home lighting control system may be perfect for you.
Given the dimming functionality home lighting control systems have to offer, limiting the energy usage for each luminaire will allow your lights to last longer. This results in fewer replacements needed, and provides environmental benefits too.
At Hampshire Light, we specialise in the design and integration of complete home lighting control systems, offering full flexibility for your space. If you’re interested in learning more about lighting controls, or want to find out how Hampshire Light could transform your home, contact our expert design team today – we’re always happy to help.
Open-plan kitchens are more popular than ever before, making kitchen islands the most important part of many homes. Not only do they offer an ideal place to cook, eat, and socialise, but are typically the focus area of your entire kitchen. Because of this, the lighting for your kitchen island cannot be ignored.
Hampshire light recently visited Decorex 2017, here are our top picks from the show.
