Lighting is as important as AV – time to bring in the experts!
Lighting solutions have historically played second place in our business. That is to say, our core work has been in integrating AV control around the home, with extravagant cinemas that have been a great playground for us all.
But recently this has changed. A shift which came to light (no pun intended!) when we ran a series of seminars at the National Home Improvement Show last October. In between our seminars (talking about the benefits of a good lighting design and lighting control along with energy management issues), we had time on our stand to meet with potential home builders and discuss their lighting requirements. All of the home builders on their second project said the same thing: ‘We didn’t really think about the lighting in the last project and it ruined the home.’
This may sound extreme, but a recent retrofit project that we worked on was a prime example: a small kitchen with 28 halogen lights with no dimming capacity, so either all on or all off, with half of the lights lighting the cupboards only! A large living room with sconces placed directly above the main television which gave glare on the screen! This is typical of developers who are taking on areas of a build out of their skill set to increase their margin – but in so many cases we have found that the final finish does not do justice to either the building design from the architect or the final decoration by the builders themselves.
Outside help
As installers, we are not expert lighting designers, so since last September we have teamed up on a number of projects with a couple of lighting designers who now become involved at a very early stage in all of our proposals where lighting control has been requested. This partnership has benefited both parties greatly, and it has been fantastic to have a light and fittings schedule produced ready for our design work, and to have a lighting designer who understands and promotes the benefits of controlled lighting.
When we get involved with a client, it is usually via an architect or interior designer, and both appreciate that good lighting is crucial, but neither seems to offer the service. On our first meeting with a client when we take down their project scope, they talk a lot about lighting and how a lighting system can benefit their beautiful new home. Along with our lighting designer, we can offer a combined service.
Justifying the cost
In a time when people’s budgets are constrained, I find that the original budget for controlled lighting can be stretched if the energy management of the controlled lighting can offer some pay back for the extra investment, whereas a standard lighting systems will never offer such benefits.
The other reasons for customers taking a much more detailed interest in controlled lighting from our recent experience are:
1) Energy management. The ‘all off’ switch – everyone likes the idea of leaving the home and pressing that one button which saves time and money when rushing out of the home. And the benefit for those with whole-house automation means that one button can also power down AV kit, and set the security system.
2) Easy control of multiple lights and sockets from one switch or other controller. Lighting designers love to design-in a range of lighting scenes, especially in key areas of the home. Control systems have the ultimate flexibility to allow them to generate scenes and access these from one panel on the wall (not a 24-button grid switch!)
3) Attractive switches. The design of switches that come with some lighting control systems is also very impressive and attractive to our customer base. Our biggest seller is the Flat Design range from Jung. They are minimalistic, can be split in a huge number of variations and have a range of colours and surrounds to fit most interiors.
4) Less wall acne. The ability to integrate heating/blind/volume control into light switches means that there is less on the wall. The flexibility of software and hardware allows for the reduction in the number of control switches required and for the upgrade of switches and the accommodation of any change in function that may be required in the future.
5) Security. The security benefits of a controlled lighting system outweigh that of a standard lighting system. The programming of switches to provide pathway lighting during the night can reduced the midnight stumbling around for switches and, on occasions, broken toes falling up stairs!
Conclusion
As the general requirement for a well-designed lighting solution for the home grows, and the complexity of scenes and light fittings offered by many designers increases, then controlled lighting will be required more and more.
Even with the basic control systems offered by retailers such as B&Q, planning of the system, the light fittings, and the settings are of ultimate importance. I see that clients are more willing to pay for the planning, design, and programming of lighting than ever before, and this comes down to the knowledge that investing in their home correctly from the start gives them the ideal home they wanted.
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 29th, 2010 at 10:25 am and is filed under News.
