Differentiating High Performance Homes with Lighting and Controls
The July 7 webinar on High Performance Lighting featured Brad Oberg, Chief Technology Officer at IBACOS, along with Erik Anderson of Lutron Electronics and Todd Roy of Progress Lighting for a look at the leading edge of lighting technology.
This webinar covered how lighting strategies and innovative new lighting controls can differentiate homes in a competitive market and save homeowners energy.
Here's some of the Q&A from that session.
If a builder's looking to get their feet wet with a combined solution of traditional and energy efficient fixtures and lighting sources, how do you suggest they get started?
[Brad] I love to see builders upgrade the lighting down hallways and in public spaces with high-efficiency lighting, typically CFLs, either pin-based or if you’re doing a substitution solution. Incandescent lighting, like a 3,000 Kelvin pinspot, can then be used to accent artwork. I think that is a great combination because it creates the brightness and light and color richness with the energy efficiency.
If you want to implement a lighting package in your house that combines traditional lighting with high performance lighting, can you get a consistent look from an aesthetic perspective?
[Todd] Yes, from both the lamp and the fixture perspective. I know Brad had touched on combining some of the typical light sources 
today, but yes, the technology and performance of the available products, whether be it LED, CFL, and combining that, even with some halogen, you can achieve a very uniform and consistent energy efficient lighting package. From a design perspective, Progress Lighting is also offering many of its fixtures in both incandescent and energy efficient versions, so that builders and homeowners can mix and match performance levels and lighting sources to suit their needs, while creating a consistent look (in terms of materials and finishes). I wouldn't be surprised if other manufacturers are taking a similar approach.
Regarding controls, what would be a good entry level upgrade package to offer homebuyers?
[Erik] I think the biggest bang for your buck would be lighting the pathway into the house. You’ve got a
great energy story without having to leave exterior lights on, especially during the winter months, when the daylight is shorter. Some people know that they’re going to return after dark, and they don’t want to return to a dark home, so they leave those exterior lights on. With an inexpensive path lighting control system, you can typically control the exterior lights, a foyer light or a mudroom entry type light and a hallway for generally less than $500 retail, and that would include two of the wireless controllers for the vehicles. I think you’ve got an energy story and a safety story that fits almost every class and demographic. It doesn’t matter your age. Single person or family, it’s appealing to nearly everyone, and it’s an inexpensive way to show lighting and its benefits.
How do wireless lighting control systems work and is there any interference that you get with other technologies in the house or any delay when you use that kind of a system?
[Erik] When you’re looking at wireless technologies, there are a lot of different protocols that are out there for the devices communicating with one another, some newer than others. But what you want to make sure, is that you talk to manufacturers and brands that have proven reliability in the wireless. At Lutron, we’ve had no issues with competing devices, for example, with home networks or baby monitors. We actually control our devices in the 400 mHz frequency, which is a bandwidth portion that doesn’t compete with those other devices. In wireless, there are RF types of technologies, as well as wireless systems that communicate along the power lines. So working with your electricians and working with your manufacturers to find out how reliable these systems are is very important.
There are currently some apps available to control your home's lighting remotely through smart devices. Can you touch on what they are and how they work?
[Erik] Now there are apps available through iPhone, iPad and Droid markets that will allow you to have outside control of your home, whether it’s to turn the lights on prior to reentering or ensuring that, on vacation, your lights are off. So you’ve got that ease of control from an everyday product that you have in your pocket most of the time.
The apps work pretty seamlessly and can be downloaded in a matter of minutes. Depending on the lighting control system you're using, those applications are at no charge, or at most, they'll be 10 or 20 dollars.
Now you can sit in your own home and have virtual control of your lights from the patio, or in front of the TV if you don’t want to have to buy additional wireless controllers or systems. Also, in the past, if you wanted to tweak the levels of lighting in an entertainment scene for example, you may have had to call the installation professional back and have them make those adjustments. Now, you can adjust your own lighting controls by opening the app, putting those light levels where you want them, and hitting save. So it’s becoming much more consumer friendly.
