Lighting Control Doesn't Need to End with Interior and Exterior Lights. An Oft-Overlooked, but Easily Controlled Point of Light Is the Sun.

Lighting controls have been available to homeowners since 1961, when the rotary (round knob) dimmer hit the market. Since then, companies have been growing the lighting controls category with products like full-featured single-light dimmers, entire-room lighting controls for multiple zones of light, and total-home lighting control systems that integrate with other automation products. Lighting controls have changed the way homeowners live and play by offering increased flexibility throughout the home. With lighting controls, the family room can double as a home theater, while the kitchen can be transformed from a romantic dinner for two to a homework and craft area for the kids—all with the press of a button. Since every home (and every homeowner) has different requirements for its lighting control system, the demand for new products and technologies is on the rise.

Homes under construction can employ a hardwired lighting control system, in which every component is wired back to a central panel. Existing residences, however, often use wireless lighting control systems to avoid construction hassles.

In some wireless systems, such as Lutron's RadioRA home dimming system or the HomeWorks wireless series system, devices are RF-enabled and easily replace existing dimmers and switches. So when it comes to choosing a system, homeowners already have several options available to them.

Here Comes the Sun

But a homeowner's lighting control needs don't end with control of interior and exterior lights. An oft-overlooked point of light that can be easily controlled is the sun. Automated shade and drapery systems are the newest form of lighting control, serving as an extension of total-home lighting control systems. Electronically controlled window treatments are the next generation of the pull cord, just as power windows were the automobile industry's next generation of the window crank.

At first glance, it might not seem like shades and draperies should be part of a home integration business. But not too long ago, neither did lighting control. Natural lighting control needs to be integrated with other home automation products. And if that's your business, you should offer it. By integrating the right products, you create solutions for all of the needs and applications of your customers.

An automated shade and drapery control system can be easily integrated with a total-home lighting control system so that with the press of a "Goodnight" button, selected interior lights are reduced to 10 percent brightness to serve as nightlights, outside lights are turned on for added security, window shades are lowered, and draperies are closed. A home's total lighting environment can be transformed in an instant with a single button.

Automated shade and drapery control systems offer numerous benefits for clients, including convenient control of roller shades, Roman shades and draperies. Integrating a shade and drapery system with a lighting control system simplifies a homeowner's daily routines.

Added security is another benefit of controlling a home's total lighting environment. Lighting control systems, as well as automated shade and drapery control systems, can be easily integrated with a home security system. If an alarm is tripped, the lighting control system can be programmed to turn on interior lights to full brightness while the landscape lights flash on and off. In addition, draperies will open and shades will rise, hopefully disorienting an intruder.

The two systems can also be put in vacation mode, which gives the home a lived-in look by replaying lighting, shade and drapery activity from recent weeks. Protecting furniture, flooring, and artwork from harmful UV rays is another benefit of automated shade and drapery control systems.

Integrating automated shade and drapery control systems into product offerings is simple. So for many builders, it's time to make the choice … grow your business with total home lighting control opportunities, or be left in the dark.

Jeff Zemanek is director, residential systems providers, for Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. in Coopersburg, Pa.

Using Smart Glass for Daylight Control

More homes today are built with expansive great rooms, combination media rooms, cathedral ceilings, large architectural windows and other features that can affect the home-theater viewing experience with the amount of light.

What's the solution? For many, control of natural "daylight" comes in the form of automatic shade control, but there is another alternative: chromogenics or "smart glass." While chromogenics sounds like some form of a deadly virus, it actually is the process by which windows automatically change from light to dark (or dark to light) when a voltage is applied, altering the amount of light permitted into a room.

According to the Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based research company, the projected growth rate for smart glass in the United States is 20 percent through 2006, with the market reaching $445 million in two years. That growth is nearly five times the projected growth rate of "regular" flat glass (4.3 percent per year).

Briefly, there are several types of smart glass, broken down into "passive" (no electrical charge, react to environmental conditions) and "active" (user controlled, require an electrical charge to change opacity). Within the active category, one of the most advanced types is called suspended particle device (SPD) smart glass, which uses microscopic particles dispersed in a film that is sandwiched between two panes of glass.

Smart glass allows an integrator to design a multipurpose room for optimal home theater lighting without incorporating automatic blinds or curtains. Moreover, the glass helps maintain room temperature. Manufacturers also claim acoustic benefits (noise reduction) and improved air quality from smart glass.

What are the potential drawbacks? It is more expensive than standard glass. A pane of smart glass can cost 400 percent more. Roughly, the price range for residential windows (including basic framing) is about $16 to $32 per square foot. Pricing of SPD smart glass is negotiated between the glass suppliers and their licensed customers, and like traditional non-smart windows, they are priced based on their configuration. Depending on coatings and glazing, pricing in low volumes for SPD glass and plastic tends to run between $80 and $160 per square foot.

www.smartglass.com; www.spd-systems.com; www.innovativeglasscorp.com; www.cricursa.com

Bright Future for Lighting Fixtures

High energy costs are not a good thing—for consumer, builders or integrators. But for those who look on the bright side, escalating energy costs are a factor that contributes to consumers purchasing more efficient lighting fixtures.

And that is exactly what consumers are expected to do for the next few years, according to the Freedonia Group. The Cleveland-based research company projects that shipments of lighting fixtures in the U.S. will rise over 5 percent annually through 2008 to over $14.4 billion.