Lighting Automation - Putting the User in Control (1/4/2010)
By Dave Chester, CustomControls
As a specialist custom installer, we have seen the lighting side of our business increase exponentially over the last few years. As more and more clients become aware of mood lighting control systems, they are becoming 'must have' rather than 'nice to have'. Clients are also becoming familiar with how digital dimmers work and the energy savings as a result.
A lighting control system can add security, convenience and, more importantly, atmosphere to a new home. Working closely with a lighting designer at the commissioning stage allows us to show the home at its absolute best through bespoke lighting scenes – and recall those settings quickly and easily through a single button press.
One of the concerns we have however, is the number of systems which require an engineer to visit should a scene need to be changed. This could be due to a change in requirements or light fitting, but whatever the reason, we feel that the end client should be in total control of the system and be able to change lighting levels as they see fit.
Choosing a system
There is a huge number of lighting systems on the market today, from hard-wired systems to wireless systems. On any individual project, the choice will quickly be narrowed by a number of factors. Is it a new build or retrofit? One-room or whole-house dimming required?
If the project allows, i.e. it is a new build or substantial renovation, we always cable our systems. This provides a more reliable and flexible system without the need to change batteries or worry about interference in the future. In a retrofit project however, wiring would be extremely costly, so we can choose from a number of wireless systems such as the Rako wireless lighting control system and the Lutron Homeworks RF, which require no new cabling yet offer many of the benefits of a hardwired system.
Similarly, specifying a full Crestron GreenLight or Lutron Homeworks system for a single room would not be practical, but fortunately both manufacturers have smaller one-room solutions that can represent excellent value for money.
There is also an increasing variety of low-energy light fittings to be dimmed, including compact fluorescent and LED to name a few. We therefore try to specify universal dimmers which dim incandescent and low-voltage lamps, and even LED if the load is enough (Editor's note: see Michael Robertson's article this month on 'Dimming Energy-Efficient Light Sources').
Wiring
If the budget and circumstances allow for a hard-wired system, then every lighting circuit must need be wired back to a central location (or several locations for very large properties). Lighting keypads would then replace the usual lightswitches. The keypads talk back to a central processor which is located centrally with the dimmers, and through programming, any keypad can control any lighting circuit. This flexibility allows an 'All Off' button in the master bedroom for example, and an 'All On' button by the front door to light communal areas.
Control
Lighting keypads come in a number of guises, from simple button-press plates that directly replace light switches, to large backlit LED units, to colour touchpanels and even iPhones. The type of controller specified depends on the room/area and application.
There are however, other ways of controlling lighting channels in a whole-house system. A motion detector in a bathroom for example, can switch lights on when required, or an astronomical clock can bring lights on at preset times or when sunset occurs. Some systems will also memorise the residents' activities over a two-week period for example, and then use this data to simulate occupancy should they go away on holiday.
Another consideration when choosing a lighting control system is how the client will change scenes. This happens more often than perhaps first expected, and could be due a number of reasons including light levels changes with the seasons, a change of use of the room/area, or a different wattage lamp being used. With some systems (or badly-programmed systems) the user has no way of changing lighting scenes, so whenever they need a scene change, someone has to visit with the software and a laptop. This is quite unacceptable.
We specify systems that are easy to use and require very little training. If the lighting is part of a bigger whole-house audio/video system, we like to offer lighting scene adaptation via one of the lighting control touchpanels. This gives the user complete control, allowing them to change the light output of any channel and save it as a scene. A video demonstration of this is below:
Conclusion
A good lighting system will be a real pleasure to use and will allow the client to enjoy the space they have, regardless of the activity they are performing. They will love the fact that one button press will create one atmosphere and another will transform the look of the room.
In the future we will see lighting control systems becoming more and more prominent due to a number of factors: monitoring and minimising energy use, tougher planning constraints and more understanding of the benefits of a lighting control system by planners. A good lighting system will save energy use in a room by efficient use of lamps, whilst allowing low-energy lamps to be integrated and controlled properly.
Ultimately however, if the user is not able to adapt their lighting system easily, the shine soon tarnishes. So if you want a happy customer, who continues to be pleased with their system and recommends it to their friends and neighbours, think ahead and make sure they are in total control.
Dave Chester is the Managing Director of CustomControls, specialist installer of custom control and entertainment systems.
www.customcontrols.co.uk
You can view the article in published form here.