Beauty and Drama in Home Lighting Automation
 Automate your lighting and never enter a dark room again. Sensors will turn on the lights as you draw near and they will turn off the lights when the room is no longer occupied. They will automatically light the path to the bathroom or stairway to the basement as you approach. But automated lighting can do much more. It can adjust lighting levels and quality to the activity in the room. And it can enhance the beauty and drama of your home, furnishings, artworks and garden.
The lighting in your home – Living Room, Game Room, Bedroom, Study or Kitchen provides the backdrop for the activity in that space. Installing a fixed amount of lighting in a room, assumes that all you need is adequate lighting for the activities in that room. But in every room, you do different things at different times. Yes, cooking is always done in the kitchen. But sometimes you do it alone and sometimes together with the kids or grandkids. And maybe you enjoy a coffee and a quiet chat with a friend there. When you throw a big party, your friends gravitate to the kitchen. Rooms serve different purposes at different times and you want the lighting to add to the atmosphere of any occasion.
Lighting Suited To The Activity And Time Of Day
 Varying the quality of the light has a powerful impact on the ambiance of a space and can change the mood. Think of the flood lights that detectives in the movies use on the suspects or the candlelight of a romantic scene. Lighting should be commensurate with the nature of the activity. It should add drama to the artworks displayed on the walls and make your garden at night even more stunning than it is by day. You probably want lots of bright light when entertaining a group of friends; or perhaps you prefer to set up the lighting to accent your drapes and furnishings and to highlight the paintings on the wall. You can stage manage the events at your home. Bright light may stimulate joking and laughter; dimming the light may invite more contemplative conversation. For an intimate gathering you can set up romantic lighting for a special dinner. In your child’s bedroom, set up lighting to dim gradually after the bedtime story and let the lights fade to induce sleep.
Home Automation Security Lighting
Your automated lighting system will also make your home safer. Whenever motion is detected around the perimeter of your house, flood lights will automatically be turned on and a buzzer activated to warn you and to frighten an intruder. And in the same instant, a video recorder can be activated. It can also provide safety and security in the event of a fire or other disaster. Lights can automatically go on to illuminate passages to staircases and exits.
Home Automation Lighting Scenarios
Back from Work Scenario: As you approach the house tap the remote in your car to turn on the garden path lights, and to light the entrance, the hall, living room and kitchen. Enter a pleasant and welcoming house.
Bedtime Scenario: Tap the touchscreen at your bedside when you are done reading to turn off all house lights that are still on, except the passage lights to the bathroom, which are set to dim. Or if you are very regular in your ways, set up your scenario to turn off the lights automatically at the hour that you go to bed.
Morning Scenario: Tap on the controls by your bed and the lights go on gradually, rather than attacking you full in the face when you are barely awake.
Away from home Scenario: Set up the lights to go on in different rooms and later to go off, to give the house a lived-in appearance, when you are away from home.
Surprise Party: Turn off all the lights in the house or dim them with a single tap on a single button. And turn them on again with just one touch.
Home Automation Lighting Configuration
Benefits of Home Lighting Automation
- Provide greater convenience
- Accentuate the beauty of the home and garden
- Reduced energy consumption
- Provide greater personal security
- Increase safety in the event of disasters
Combine the controls with anything or with everything else in your home to fully automate security system, motorized drapes, climate control, home theatre, or anything else.
Magen Home Automation can help you design and install your automated lighting system. We can install in an existing home or in the new facility that you are planning now. Your controls will be completely hidden from view so as not to intrude on the wood paneling in your period style office or to detract from your sleek modern design. In your new facility we can provide a clean and elegant look with hidden controls or if you prefer to show them off, we can provide controls in colours that harmonize with your walls and drapes. Magen installs Lutron, Crestron, Vantage, GE, Lightolier.
Benefits of Home Lighting Automation Control
Programmable lighting controls allow automatic adjustment to conditions or needs, reducing energy consumption when rooms are empty and extending bulb life. Programmable controls also provide safety and security in the event of a fire or other disaster. Lights can automatically go on to illuminate passages to staircases and exits.
Lighting can be controlled by means of attractive keypads in varying colours and designs located throughout the house and patio as well as by means of portable touchscreens. Each keypad or touchscreen can control a single space or a number of areas.
Controls, consisting of dimmers, photocells, and occupancy sensors may be programmed to set lighting automatically according to a specific time of day, relative to exterior lighting conditions or according to occupancy. And these may be different for weekdays, weekends or holidays, or for evenings when guests are invited or for parties. Light controls may also be connected to the security system to activate lights in case of an alarm. The controls are intuitive and simple to use. If desired, all lighting can be controlled from any keypad.
Controls may be located wherever required. Lighting controls may also be installed without wiring in areas in which it would be inconvenient to modify walls.
What Do Home Automation Lighting Controls Consist Of?
- Dimmers to reduce wattage of lamps and increase their service life
- Photocells to turn lights on and off in response to natural light levels
- Occupancy sensors to automatically turn lights on when a person enters a room and turn them off when the room is vacated
- Keypads mounted on walls, desktops, bed tables or wherever required
- Portable touchscreens
Lighting typically accounts for about 10% of the energy consumed in the home and there is much room for reducing consumption without affecting lighting quality. Major reductions in energy consumption can be gained by dimming, when a lesser amount of light is required or when the room is empty. Furthermore, since lights produce heat, unnecessary light creates a needless burden on your cooling system. According to the California Energy Commission, automatic lighting controls generate energy savings of 35% to 45% in residential buildings, without compromising the quality of the lighting. Some studies have found savings of up to 60%. Programmable lighting controls reduce costs and reduce unnecessary energy consumption. Programmable controls are friendly to the environment.
Magen Home Automation can help you design and install your automated lighting system. We can install in an existing home or in the new facility that you are planning now. Your controls will be completely hidden from view so as not to intrude on the wood paneling in your period style office or to detract from your sleek modern design. In your new facility we can provide a clean and elegant look with hidden controls or if you prefer to show them off, we can provide controls in colours that harmonize with your walls and drapes. Magen installs Lutron, Crestron, GE, Lightolier.
Call Magen Home Automation today and our experts will help your home automation needs.
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