How to Save Energy With an Automated Lighting Installation

Thursday, 21 April 2016

From solar power to electric cars, there have been many positive developments in the effort to save energy. But have you heard about how the world of home automation is contributing? Believe it or not, making your Carmel, Indiana home green with automated lighting can make a large difference in your monthly energy use. The Premier Group can customize your smart home to help you save more energy. Not only will you save dollars on your energy bill every month, but you'll be doing your part in the effort to save our natural resources and reduce our carbon footprint. In this blog we'll cover how you can make it happen with a new lighting installation and play your part in the movement to preserve our world.

Install Dimmers

Installing dimmers is a great first step to making a difference because lighting accounts for the most energy usage in the home, with central heating and cooling as a close second. Every time you dim the lights you save energy. According to lighting control manufacturers such as Control4, Crestron and Lutron, dimming the lights by 25 percent saves you about 20% 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.

Add Smart Sensors

Occupancy and daylight 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 or when there is enough natural light in a room. These smart sensors can even detect slight movements. If you leave a room, it will know it and turn off the lights accordingly. They can save you 20% on energy and last a long time. Daylight sensors 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.

Use Your Control4 System for Additional Savings

The Premier Group can integrate your smart lighting into your whole house control system. One of our control partners, Control4, offers customizable settings through their interface. All you have to do is create a setting, like a lighting level, and save it in the system. For example, create an energy-saving mode for when you leave the house for work in the morning. Monday through Friday, when you press the "away" button by the front door, all the lights turn off, the thermostat raises several degrees, and the shades go down to keep the house naturally cool and maintain privacy. On the weekends, your smart sensors will detect when daylight is sufficient and dim the lights accordingly. At the end of the day, you could leave the porch light on in the evening or shut all of them off at bed time. In this way, home automation ensures that energy will never be wasted and you will do your part in reserving resources for future generations.

The more people who make saving energy a priority, the more of a lasting impact our efforts will make. Contact The Premier Group online and ask us about how we can create an energy-saving strategy in your home with lighting controls. We'd love to help you start using home automation to "go green."

Tags: