Whether you’re building, remodeling or just looking for some ideas, HST can personalize an automated lighting and shade control system that will reduce energy costs, set a mood and enhance security

Create Personalized Scenes and Reduce Energy

Did you know that when you dim your lights 10% you use 10% less electricity? Literally. And, the less you use the less you spend in energy costs. 

With the proper design, HST can program customized scenes that automatically dim lights, turn them on or off, raise or lower shades helping to create a particular ambiance. Plus, HST can install a lighting control system in an existing home without having to rewire it.

Dimming the lights and lowering the shades can instantly create a comfortable space while reducing energy costs. And if you’re looking for ways to save energy, installing occupancy/vacancy sensors will assure you that lights are turned off when a room is not occupied. These devices are designed to automatically turn lights off when someone leaves the room and doesn’t return for a period of time. An automated shade solution can help you take advantage of the warm sun during the long winter by automatically opening the shades. During the summer, the opposite can occur, by lowering the shades to keep your home cool. The harsh winter months and overwhelmingly hot summers can wreak havoc on your budget costing you more than you ever anticipated.

Lighting Control Systems should incorporate the following key elements:

• Green Efficiencies
• Daylight Harvesting
• Occupancy/Vacancy Sensors
• Keypad Design and use of Scenes
• Integration of Schedules
• Enhanced Safety and Functionality
• An App for Lighting!

Green Efficiencies - The More You Dim, the More You Save

Dimming your lights is a great way to begin saving energy. By simply dimming the lights a mere 10% can save you 10% in energy costs – The “GREEN” philosophy we have adopted is “use less, save more”. The reduction in light will go unnoticed but won’t easily go unnoticed when you review your utility bills, not to mention you will be extending the life of your bulbs.

Since lighting generates heat, it requires your air conditioning to compensate for the rise in heat. A lighting and shade solution will help you manage this by simply reducing the amount of electric lighting or lowering shades during certain times of the day. In most cases the amount of light emitted while in use is far more than required, resulting in an increase in your utilities. For those areas that still need some light, we offer a large variety of fabrics and materials and can customize the shade application to allow partial light or even darken the room.

In a short period of time, you’ll not only enjoy your home like never before, but you’ll immediately begin to experience the savings your new system will bring. Not to mention the additional value you have just added to your home. When you decide one day to add your home to the resale market, your home's automated lighting and shade system will bring additional resale dollars and provide a degree of uniqueness.

According to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, “homeowners now say purchasing a home that incorporates elements of 'Green' and energy efficiency benefits are high on their list when deciding what home they will purchase."

Daylight Harvesting - Save More on Sunny Days

Daylight is another important consideration for any design. A key component that HST can include in a lighting control system is called “Daylight Harvesting”. This basic concept is designed to automatically reduce the amount of energy being used to light a room when an ample supply of natural daylight is available. The more windows you have, the more you might save. Installing skylights and opening shades and blinds will help increase the amount of natural light, resulting in less need for overhead lighting. HST can provide many alternative solutions to maximize natural light and incorporate the appropriate amount of light from the lighting control system as it's needed.

Occupancy/Vacancy Sensors

Additional savings can be achieved by installing occupancy/vacancy sensors.  This feature will assure you that lights are turned off when a room is not occupied.  They are designed to automatically turn lights off when someone leaves the room and doesn’t return for a period of time or turn lights on automatically when someone enters a room.

Keypad Design - Managed Control

Imagine controlling multiple lights in multiple rooms from anywhere in your home. Lights can also be programmed to slowly fade over any length of time you choose, making falling asleep an easier transition. And how many of us have gone to bed and realized the porch light was left on and then had to walk down a dark hallway, bumping into walls and tripping over the dog, only to turn the lights off? With our “All Off” button, you can turn off all of the lights for your entire home safely from the comfort of your bed. That same button can also be programmed to auto-arm your alarm system at the same time.

What’s best about an intelligent lighting control system is that it offers the flexibility to make changes later on. For instance, if you decided that you wished you were able to control the lights on your patio from your family room, it can be modified at any time. HST also likes to consider each project as though it was our own home. And eliminating the “wall acne” is an essential component for each design. With our customized keypads, we can consolidate the various light switches, shade controls, ceiling fan controls and more.

Integration of Schedules

HST can incorporate a time-clock and astronomical clock feature that controls designated lights and shades to go on and off. This feature's operation is based upon a preprogrammed schedule so it knows when and where specific lighting is required. The astronomical clock is programmed to adjust for dusk and dawn. The system can be programmed to enhance energy savings during precise times of the day when areas of the home are not in use or when everyone is out of the house. Just imagine coming home after it gets dark and your lighting control system is able to turn on the exterior lighting, and once you open the door, turn on pathway lighting so you never have to touch a switch. By using the astronomical clock, the system adjusts for the differences in the sunset and sunrise times and you never have to worry about setting the clocks back.

Enhanced Safety and Functionality

Lighting control systems can increase your home's level of safety by creating a safely lighted entry to the home from the driveway. Our lighting systems can automatically come on as soon as you enter the home, or while disarming the alarm system. The advantage is to provide a safe entry and allow your family to feel comfortable when entering the house. Lighting is also a deterrent for potential intruders. HST can program a scene that will provide the appearance that the house is occupied when it’s actually not. We call it a “vacation” button. This scene is programmed to randomly turn on, turn off and dim various lights throughout your entire home while you are away to give the appearance that the house is being occupied.

We have an app for Lighting Control

With the convergence of computers and PDAs, most users of smartphones appreciate the additional versatility a lighting control app may give them. LiteTouch allows you to control your lighting from your PDA. Just request this option when you inquire to make sure your application is designed with this feature in mind.