Benefits of Smart Lighting
Benefits of Smart Lighting
When discussing smart lighting, there are a couple of benefits that come to mind: cost savings and convenience. Understanding these can help you make decisions related to smart lighting in your own home or during a consultation with a customer deciding to get smart lighting installed.
The cost savings are fairly obvious. If you look back at the cost savings section, you can see that LED smart lighting is an obvious choice. Being able to use LEDs and use 1/7th the power of incandescent bulbs is a big savings. While LEDs can be a bit more expensive to buy and install, LED lights last, on average, 10-20 times longer than a similar incandescent bulb (1 year versus 12-25 years). So if you have to pay $1.00 for an incandescent bulb but $5.00 for an LED bulb, the longevity of the LED means significant cost savings.
Smart lighting can also increase convenience and the use of lights. There are many features of smart lighting (timers, turning on automatically when it gets dark, etc) that can be programmed to mimic a homeowner’s behaviors. Removing the need for a customer to turn on lights or remember to shut them off after a certain time would be a huge benefit.
Another way that smart lighting can be beneficial is by making inconvenient lights accessible. For example, I have a big lamp that sits behind the corner of a sectional. The lights are perfectly placed, the switch, not so much. The switch is located on the base of the lamp, so it could be activated by pressing the switch with your foot. This is not helpful when the lamp is not foot-friendly or accessible. So, by including a smart switch, I am able to turn the lights on and off remotely. This switch has a smart home integration so that I can tell my voice-activated smart assistant to turn the lights on and off. This means my fancy lamp can be functional again without having to lean over the back of the sectional and try to activate the switch!
Another benefit that smart lighting can serve is related to mental health. Smart lights can often change their colors. Not only does this look cool, but the color of the light can impact you in other ways. Changing from a bright white light to a “warm white light” can reduce eye strain and decrease the likelihood of headaches. Automatically setting the ‘temperature’ of the lighting can help regulate a person’s circadian rhythm and fight off SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) during the winter months. This can positively impact mood, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being!