If you’ve ever built a new home or endured a remodeling project, you’re well aware of the importance of planning out every detail no matter how insignificant it might seem. Whether you did a kitchen makeover or converted an extra bedroom into a man cave, the first step in your planning journey is always the same, determine your ultimate goal for the project. Once you have those goals in mind, you’ll be able to consider decisions related to design, materials, and budget. But perhaps you’re not aware of the possibilities related to Vantage lighting control for your Dallas, TX home. Read on to learn more about this must-have home upgrade.

SEE ALSO: Motorized Shades, Smart-tech to Reduce Energy Consumption

Why upgrade your home’s lighting system?

The days of flipping a switch to turn on a single light at a time have gone the way of the rotary phone, it may have worked well for its time, but new technology has come along to replace it and provide a better user experience. No longer do homeowners have to fumble for a light switch, arrive home to a dark property or have to worry about their house while away on vacation.  

• Get Hands-Free Control – How often do you make your way through the garage or into your home, hands full of groceries, luggage, or a toddler? And no way to turn on the lights? With an occupancy sensor, the light turns on automatically whenever you enter a space. Not only great for entry ways, but also for rooms where you often enter with your hands full, such as a pantry, wine cellar, or laundry room. These same sensors can turn off lights a short while after you leave the space, making it easy to save on energy. 

• Increase Safety and Security – The end of summer signals shorter days and no one in your family wants to arrive home to a dark house and fumble with the keys at the front door. A well-lit property allows each family member to safely make their way from the car into the house. An automated lighting system can be programmed to turn lights on around your property at sunset each day. An outdoor system that incorporates pathway lighting prevents slips, trips, and falls keeping you, your family, and guests safe. Additionally, landscape lighting can be added to increase the curb appeal of your property. 

• Set Your Home to ‘Vacation’ Mode – Do you worry about what’s going on at your house when you are away on vacation? With a ‘vacation’ lighting scene, you can enjoy your time away without thinking about your home. Before you step out of the door, enroot to that tropical destination, tap on the scene button and voila, your home goes into away mode meaning lights come on at random times throughout the day and into the evening so that your house appears as though someone is home. Your outdoor lights, as well as, shades can be programmed as part of the scene giving you added peace of mind while you are away.  

With Vantage lighting control, table and floor lamps can also be added to your lighting system providing convenient access to all the lights in your home. Start with a single-room and add on to the system as you need or outfit your entire home with lighting automation. Contact one of our lighting experts to learn about what’s possible. 

If you’ve been looking for a way to reduce your carbon footprint or lower your monthly energy bill, there are a lot of small changes you can make at home that can have a big impact. The good news is that with the right technology, many of these changes can actually make your life easier instead of more complicated. One of those technologies is a lighting control system. Studies show that electric lighting typically takes up to 25 percent of a home’s energy budget, so making improvements to lighting usage are definitely a smart idea. If you’re a homeowner in the Dallas, Texas area, then keep reading to learn the best approach to energy-efficient lighting.

Start by Making Your Lights Smarter

By smarter, we mean connecting all of the light fixtures throughout your home to a smart home automation system. This central platform makes it easy to monitor energy usage and manage all of the lights at once. From your smartphone or tablet, you can simply push a button and have all of the lights in the home (or just the lights in one room) turn on or off immediately.

Take Advantage of Dimmers

Once you’ve added the lighting control system to your house, you can start to do more sophisticated energy management such as dimming lights. In the typical home, lights have two settings: on and off. But there are many instances when you don’t need your lights blasting at full brightness. By using dimmers, you can get the best lighting for every occasion and save energy while you’re doing it. Using your control panel or remote, you can set the lighting in the room to 30 percent or 80 percent – whatever makes sense for that given moment. According to Vantage, one of the top manufacturers of lighting control systems, by dimming a 1500 hour incandescent lamp by 33 percent, you can make that bulb last nearly ten years.

SEE ALSO: Getting Started with Lighting Control

Use Lighting Automation

Another cool energy-saving feature of a lighting control system is automation. Using sensors, your lights can react automatically to different environments. For example, you could add motion sensors that detect when a room is unoccupied. After 5 minutes, the lights will turn off automatically to save energy, then turn on instantly if someone enters the area. Another type of technology to take advantage of is daylight sensors. These sensors track how much daylight is entering the room through windows. On sunny days, the system will dim the overhead lights so that the room is still well lit, then brighten the lights if the weather grows cloudy. Without you having to lift a finger, your home reacts to keep everything energy-efficient for you.

As any good interior designer knows, proper home décor goes far beyond choosing a color scheme or artwork for a room. It’s about creating a cohesive design that evokes the right feeling at the right time. Recently, technology has advanced to the point where interior designers can use it to great effect within their décor plans. DB Media Solutions often works with interior designers on a particular smart home automation technology: Lighting control. Read below to learn how LED lighting design can enhance décor in every area of Southlake, Texas homes.

What is LED Lighting Design?

LED lighting design isn’t just about selecting a great fixture for the room. It’s about taking advantage of LED lighting’s versatility so that you can ensure each area has the proper look, no matter the time of day or chosen activity for that room. A great lighting design requires the right type of fixtures in the right locations—all connected to a central control system that allows the homeowner to adjust lighting scenes at the push of a button.

A Practical Example of Lighting Design

Automated LED lighting probably sounds like a good idea to you, but once you explore how lighting control can enhance your décor, we think you’ll better understand the true value of this technology.

Let’s use the living room as an example of what’s possible. The problem with designing living rooms is that they are used for so many different purposes. Homeowners might want to chat with friends on one day and then watch their favorite TV show on another. Usually, interior designers have to compromise on emphasizing artwork or sculptures with lighting because they don’t want to wash out the television for the homeowner. But lighting control allows you to do both.

SEE ALSO: How to Get More Use Out of Your Home’s Lights

As smart home technology becomes more and more popular, there are several terms that you’re going to hear quite frequently. One technology that is often considered an essential part of smart home automation is lighting control. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, don’t worry. We’ve put together a quick guide that goes over the features and benefits of lighting control systems so that you can decide for yourself if this innovative technology is right for your Colleyville, Texas home.

What is Lighting Control?

Lighting control refers to technology that allows you to easily adjust the lights throughout your home. Technically, anything from a light switch to a lamp dimmer is a form of lighting control, but in modern terms, lighting control typically refers to systems that automate the process of managing all the lights throughout your home. So instead of relying on individual switches for each light, all of the lights are connected to one centrally managed system you can control right from your smartphone or tablet.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways to Manage Your Lights With Smart Control

What are the Main Advantages of a Lighting Control System?

The short answer to this question is that lighting control makes your life more convenient and comfortable. The longer answer is that the versatility of lighting control makes it possible for you to gain the benefits that matter most to you. Here are just a few of the ways a lighting control system can make life easier:

• Energy Management: The intelligent system ensures that you never waste energy lighting rooms that aren’t in use or burning bulbs at 100% brightness when natural sunlight is available.
• Security: Through automated “scenes,” you can use your lights to make your home look occupied while you’re away, thus convincing would-be burglars to move on to easier targets.
• Time Savings: Instead of walking throughout the house every evening to turn off lights one by one, imagine being able to push a single button on your phone turn off all the lights immediately.
• Interior Design: You can use your control system to display art and décor in the perfect lighting for every occasion.

How Does Lighting Control Fit into a Full Home Automation System?

Modern smart homes are fully customizable, so you can start with as little or as much smart technology as you want and then add on other elements as time goes on. Many Texas homeowners choose to automate their lights initially, then add on other smart home control elements such as audio video systems, home security, motorized shades, etc. The great thing is that all of these different technologies use the same interface that you’re already comfortable with, so each new addition won’t require learning a new system.

What do you use your home’s lights for? The obvious answer is something along the lines of “I use them to make each room bright enough to see,” but your lights can do so much more than that. Below, we outline some of the unique things you can do with a smart lighting control system. Explore the possibilities for your Dallas, Texas home.

Let Your Home Greet You When You Arrive                 

As you’re returning home after a long day of work (or a fun vacation), walking into a dark, empty house can be downright depressing. But what if your home lit up moments before you arrived? Your home’s lighting control system can use sensors to identify when you have entered your property or passed the front gate, then automatically turn on the lights at the porch, entryway, living room, etc. It can even trigger the outdoor lights to illuminate a pathway from your car to the front door if you arrive home at night.

Secure Your Home with “Vacation” Lighting

Break-ins are far more likely to occur when the home is empty for extended periods. To help deter criminals while you’re away on business or vacation, you can use your lighting control system to make the home appear occupied, even when you’re halfway across the world. The lights will mimic everyday use – turning on in the morning, changing from room to room, and finally turning off at night. You can also add motorized shades to your “Vacation” scene to create even more convincing signs of life.

Go Green with Energy-Efficient Lighting

Even if you make sure to turn off every single light every time you leave a room (and let’s face it: who wants to go through all that effort?), the odds are likely that your lighting use isn’t as energy efficient as it could be. By adding sensors, timers, dimmers, and other lighting control technologies, you can make your home’s lighting more eco-friendly while adding convenience and enhancing your home’s decor at the same time.

SEE MORE: 5 Ways to Manage Your Lights With Smart Control

One of the best things about living in a smart home is the ability to customize it to fit your lifestyle. Every smart device in your home can be optimized to make your life more convenient and comfortable. But getting started with smart home automation can seem daunting at first. That’s why we’ve put together this guide of the most popular and useful technologies worth integrating into your Westlake, TX smart home. 

SEE MORE: What Are Some Perks of Living in a Smart Home?

1. Lighting Control: With lighting control technology from Vantage, you’ll never have to walk into every room of your home to turn off the lights before bed or get up from a comfortable spot to brighten the lighting while reading. Instead, all you have to do is tap your smartphone or tablet, and the lights will adjust automatically.
2. Audio/Video System Control: Imagine being able to turn on your TV, select a movie, and adjust the volume for your kids…all without ever stepping into the room that held the equipment. With a centralized A/V system, you have instant access to the speakers, TVs, gaming systems, streaming services, etc. throughout your home.
3. Smart Home Security: Modern security systems go far beyond really good locks and deadbolts. When you make your surveillance and security system “smart,” you gain the ability to view camera footage in real-time from anywhere, lock or unlock your doors remotely, access your home without any physical keys, and more. Your home security can even react intelligently to certain events—for example, calling the fire department if a fire is detected or even shutting off your HVAC system to avoid fanning the flames.
4. A Strong Network: Networking probably isn’t what comes to your mind when you think about smart home automation, but it’s absolutely essential if you want all of your devices to work smoothly and reliably on a daily basis. By optimizing your home network and adding in wireless access points or routers to ensure all devices receive a strong connection, you’ll never have to worry about dropped signals or lagging shows.
5. The Total Control System: Each of the technologies listed above is a great way to make your life a little bit easier at home, but by connecting them all together into one easy-to-use system, you gain a solution that is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Savant’s smart home control systems are intuitive and streamlined so that you can skip the hassle of trying to figure out your technology and go straight to enjoying it.

If any of these smart home automation technologies appeal to you, contact us! We’ll help you design a fully customized smart home solution that includes the technologies that matter most to you.

The modern smart home has gone far beyond keyless locks and 4K Ultra HD TVs. Everything from your home surveillance cameras to your window shades can be automated with technology that adds convenience and comfort to your home. Below, we’ve covered two of the main ways that upgrading to motorized shades can make your Dallas, Texas home smarter.

SEE ALSO: 3 Reasons to Invest in Motorized Shades for Your Home

Energy Management

It takes a lot of energy to keep a home cool in Dallas, especially during Texas’ stifling summer months. The large windows that add so much beauty and character to your home are actually contributing to your high energy bill. Once the sun comes up, your windows can essentially bake your home in the sunlight, significantly raising interior temperatures.

The regular approach to this problem is to hang shades on all the windows, but with your curtains always closed, you don’t get to enjoy your outdoor views, and you have to rely on artificial lighting all the time (which also requires energy). Motorized shades solve this problem by intelligently monitoring your home’s temperature and lighting. The motorized shades automatically adjust throughout the day to ensure your rooms are adequately lit without the sun blasting heat into your home. Sensors detect the amount of sunlight hitting the window and cause the shades to lower or raise as needed.

Of all the things interior designers take into account when working on your Westlake, Texas home, lighting is often one of the most critical components. It may be easy to focus on wall colors, artwork and furnishings, but professionals know lighting is the glue that brings it all together. Make their job easier with a lighting control system that helps you find the perfect setting for all your lights while reducing unsightly clutter on the walls. 

SEE MORE: 5 Ways to Manage Your Lights With Smart Control

Reduce Wall Acne With Centralized Control

Very few people can argue with the practical benefits of having centralized control of all your lights. From a touchpad, tablet or smartphone you can access any fixture in your home. But there are a lot of stylistic benefits to centralized control as well.

Ever get inspiration for your interior design by browsing fashion magazines? You’ll notice there are never switches or outlets on the walls. While you can’t eliminate outlets without some help from Photoshop, you can certainly do so with your switches. Centralize control to a stylish touchpad flush-mounted on the wall. Whether you’re going for a modern look or a more rustic feeling, you can always do away with some of the wall clutter.

Highlight Your Home’s Best Features

With intuitive control, you can also play around with your lighting arrangements. Have overhead lights for routine activities and focused LED fixtures to highlight works of art, furniture, or architectural features. You can adjust what you want to showcase at the touch of a button.

Developments in smart technology have changed the way we interact with our homes. Whether you’re investing in full automation or smart lighting, it’s all about creating intuitive solutions that make your space more beautiful and efficient. Since it’s one of the easiest to install and it involves technology we use every day, home lighting control is usually one of the first smart systems embraced by homeowners. In this blog, we'll take a look at some of the ways it helps you upgrade from the traditional wall switches cluttering up your Southlake, Texas home.

Dedicated Touchpad: Instead of dealing with a handful of switches on the walls, all of your fixtures can be accessed from a user interface on a dedicated touchpad. At the press of a button, choose the room you want to manage and which fixtures you'd like to adjust. You can either turn lights on and off or change their intensity. With a Vantage system, you can adjust lights from 0-100% to find the setting you like best.

Mobile App: If you already have a smart device that you’re comfortable with, you can use that instead of a touchpad. The same interface found on your touchpad can be used on a smartphone or tablet. The mobile app also comes with one huge perk: remote access.

You can access your home lighting control system even when you’re away. Notice that you left a light on when you left the house? You can turn it off using your phone no matter where you are.

Sensors: Occupancy sensors have been used in commercial lighting for years, but are just recently transitioning to the residential market. If your home lighting control system realizes that a room has been unoccupied for an extended period, all the lights can automatically turn off.
Daylight sensors are also used. These types of sensors work by ‘stabilizing’ the amount of light in a room. Once natural light reaches a certain threshold, your lights will dim or shut off to avoid using artificial light when it’s not necessary.