Your home is a reflection of your personal style, and scientifically speaking, a reflection is nothing but light. That’s why a home lighting control system is so important to creating a beautiful, functional and enjoyable space in every room of your house. Whether you want to transform the appearance of your dining room or make your back yard a safer and more attractive place to spend those summer nights, smart lighting can give you total command of the look and feel of your spaces.  Read on to find out how an automated lighting system can transform the way you see your home.

Set the Scene for Sunday Dinner

The sun goes down and the doorbell rings – the family has arrived for Sunday dinner. You were planning to create the perfect atmosphere for everyone to enjoy their meal, but the food took longer than expected to prepare and time got away from you. The solution is simple: lay out a new table cloth, light some candles and sculpt a new, more beautiful space with integrated lighting. With the touch of a button you can lower the lights in specified zones, while leaving others brighter, to evince a layered ambiance that enhances your home décor. 

Summer Fun in the Backyard

Don’t ignore your outdoor spaces this summer. Whether you’re aiming to become the grill-master of the season or you want to cool off in the pool, home lighting control can help you create a lovely and safe place to enjoy the warmer months. Keep the fire going well into the night with an integrated landscape lighting set-up that illuminates every corner of your backyard. And by installing in-pool lighting, you can relax in the watery depths or simply enjoy the beauty of your neighborhood’s most elegant aquatic fixture. With smart lighting, summer evenings are full of illuminating experiences.

Can you control your lights with your phone? Does your house automatically turn off lights when no one is in the room? Our home lighting control systems help Charlotte families in two major ways: convenience and security. This comes in handy during the holidays as you cook big meals, host family and friends, and monitor the kids. Read on to learn more!

See Also: How a Control4 Lighting Installation Adds Color to Your Charlotte Home

Lighting Control is Convenient for Everyone

Imagine groups of family members coming up your driveway for Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of taking the time to turn all the outdoor lighting on, your smart home does it for you. As cars pull up to the house, sensors detect their presence and illuminate the driveway. Pathlights help your guests walk up to the front door and walk inside. You won’t even have to take your eyes off the turkey roasting in the oven.

Later, when it’s time to eat, dimmers help create a warm, welcoming environment by lowering lighting levels. Then when the football game starts, the lights become bright again so everyone can snack, talk, and have fun together.

If you feel anything is off at any moment, you can pull out your smartphone and make adjustments. As soon as everyone says goodbye, your house goes into a more relaxed mode to get everyone ready for bed. Lights begin to turn off but a few outdoor ones remain on along with the holiday displays. As soon as you are tucked in bed, you press one button on your phone and the house goes dark.

Lighting is such an essential part of your home; the right levels can set the perfect mood and the right switch can make managing your home easier. The Integrated Home, in partnership with Lutron, has a myriad of options for you when it comes to style and controls. Here are a few features we don’t want you to miss out on.

1. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for about 15% of your electricity use at home. Leaving lights on when not in use can affect your utility bills and wastes our planet’s resources. Our team can help you set up an energy-saving strategy with your lighting controls by timing the lights to go on or off, installing motion sensors and dimmers.
2. Whether you are leaving the house for work, or are going to the Outer Banks on vacation, a control system can help you save time managing your household while you’re on the go. Simply press a button on your phone or iPad that says “Away” or “Vacation Mode” and every light in the house goes off, or can be dimmed to a low level. It’s convenient and energy-conscious.
3. Motion sensors remember to turn off the lights for you. When a sensor detects that a person has left the room, the lights automatically go off. In contrast, if your spouse comes home late, he or she can easily see to get in when a light on the front porch turns on overhead. This technology helps you move throughout the house with ease as you don’t have to reach for switches if you are carrying items, and it will also saves energy in the process.
4. Lastly, dimmers help you save energy and also keep you comfortable at the same time. You can use a keypad on the wall to reduce the lighting to an appropriate level or adjust it remotely on your smartphone. Dimmers can create a different mood in the room, reduce glare on your screens, and take some dollars off that utility bill.

As you can see, lighting control has so many benefits. You won’t waste time trying to figure out which switch on the wall turns on the kitchen light, or leave lights on all day in the family room. Your control system can automatically turn the lights off for you, or you can manage the settings yourself throughout the day.

Interested in the many benefits of lighting control with Lutron and The Integrated Home? Contact us to learn more!

The holidays are an especially beautiful time of year. Lights brighten the neighborhood and make trees glitter. December is the best time to light up your home with seasonal décor and displays. Home lighting control makes managing your decorations and lights easy and fun in your Charlotte, North Carolina home. You may already be familiar with how dimmers, automated lighting, and mobile controls work—but we’ve come up with some ideas on how to use lighting technology to make this season (as well as all of them) extra special this year.

Make a Spectacular Holiday Display with Automated Lighting

If you love Christmastime, it’s likely you won’t forget to turn the lights on. However, with automated controls, you can pick the time you want the lights to go on every night and let it turn on itself—giving you more time to manage other important items. Simply open the Control4 Composer Home Edition software, select the zone of lights that are hanging on the house outside and the Christmas tree, and then pick a time for them to turn on every night. Our team can automate your system remotely so that all of your decorations come on at once—not just the lights—but the toys, videos, and music too. When you can control everything, you don’t have to take up lots of time unplugging every electronic before bed.
Do you want to leave the Christmas lights on late into the night, but you need to hit the sack early? Use timers to schedule the lights to go off later so that the whole neighborhood can enjoy your beautiful showmanship—even while you’re sleeping.

Enhance Decor With Dimmers

Lighting levels are a big part of setting the mood in your home. Bright lighting can invigorate you while soft lighting can make you feel relaxed. Lutron and Control4 dimmers make it easy to enhance your lighting and control your environment for every occasion. We offer wireless solutions for automating and controlling LEDs, track lighting, floor and table lamps, sconces, spotlights and outdoor lighting. With this technology, you can access every lighting fixture in your home and dim lighting levels from your keypad on the wall, smartphone, or other mobile device.
When it’s time to have your holiday meal, hit a button on your phone or tablet to dim the lights down for an elegant atmosphere. Your decorations will really shine bright when the rest of the house lights are dimmed down darker.

The second biggest user of energy in your home—right after your heating and cooling system—is lighting. The electricity bill can go way up if you leave lights on, not to mention you are wasting resources and contributing to light pollution. Whatever your motivation is for cutting back on your energy, The Integrated Home can help with home lighting control. Here are three main ways to save energy in your Charlotte, NC home. 

SEE ALSO:  How a Control4 Lighting Installation Adds Color to Your Charlotte Home

1. Install Dimmers

Installing dimmers is a great first step to making a difference. Every time you dim the lights you save energy. According to the lighting manufacturer Lutron, dimming the lights by 25 percent can save you up to 20% on energy. You'll shave some cost off your monthly utility bill and make your bulbs last longer. We have dimmers that are compatible with all kinds of different lights, like LEDs, halogens, and fluorescents. Certain models automatically save you 15% on energy. Of course the best time to dim the lights is during peak daylight hours, when the sun is high. Make most of the natural daylight and save your artificial lights for later in the evening. You can set your dimmers to lower lighting at certain times of day, or manually adjust them with your mobile device or a switch on the wall. Our wall plates will look stylish and will be easy to access so you can simply save with the swipe of your finger.

2. Add Occupancy/Vacancy Sensors

Occupancy sensors help you make saving energy a priority without all the extra work. This technology ensures that lights won't be left on due to forgetfulness. If you leave a room, it will know it and turn off the lights accordingly. Depending on the type of sensor you use, it can detect slight movements, like typing on a computer, or just major movements so your dog doesn’t keep turning the lights on

They can save you 20% on energy and last a long time. Daylight sensors, similarly, detect light and automatically make adjustments. If it's a bright, sunny day, the lights dim to a low level. If it's overcast outside, the light will stay bright.