Scened Lighting
Intelligent light dimming systems have become something of a ‘must have’ commodity. Scened lighting creates atmosphere and adds that ‘sixth sense’ to a room already enlivened by furniture and intelligent interior design. This ‘one-touch’ technology gives users many advantages over the conventional light switch: one of the most dramatic ways of changing the mood in any room of your house is with the use of lighting ‘scenes’. Historically, this has been achieved using banks of unsightly rotary or sliding dimmers and the tried and tested on/off switch! Today, the simple press of one button on an unobtrusive keypad, touch panel or even infra-red remote handset as you watch television can give you fingertip control of as many different lights as you like.
Large rooms such as Kitchens, open-plan Drawing Rooms and Hallways tend to be lit by several different types of lighting: up-lighters, down-lighters, centralised chandelier fixtures, pictures lights and so on. One rotary dimmer per style of light can leave one fiddling with dials trying to achieve the desired light levels in different parts of the room. And should you be overcome with the sudden urge to read rather than cook, you will face the daunting task of remembering which dimmer controls what light and trying to effect a change! Once installed and programmed, scened lighting controllers can recall different light levels for as many different types of fitting as are installed throughout the house. Each memory setting is known as a ‘Scene’. Numerous different scenes can be programmed and assigned to each keypad or control panel and can even be adjusted from the office or abroad over the Internet.
‘Pathway Lighting’ is a feature available with electronic control that is simply not possible with half a dozen conventional switches. A scenario serviced by such a function might include a Husband waking up early each morning and needing to leave the house while it is still dark; by pressing just one button on a keypad next to his bed, he can light a predetermined ‘pathway’ from his bed to the front door via the bathroom, dressing room, stairs, hallway and kitchen, with all lights at levels not too offensive on the eye for that time of the day. Lighting controllers can also be linked to security systems. A panic button by the bed can turn on all designated lights both in and outside the house to ward off possible intruders or ensure enough light to safely exit the building in the event of fire. Lights can be programmed to default to preset levels upon the triggering of devices such as smoke detectors, motion sensors and intruder alarms. The ‘brains’ of electronic lighting control systems also possess the ability to remember your weekly movements around the house and replay a fortnight’s worth of light settings while you are away on holiday. To the potential opportunist thief, your house will appear to be occupied as usual.
Design Logistics are registered dealers for Lutron Lighting Products, arguably the world’s leading brand of electronic lighting control systems. Whether you wish to upgrade the lighting in one room or re-wire an entire building and with control features only limited by your imagination, electronically controlled scened lighting will remove the old-fashioned tedium associated with humming switches buzzing in time with the stereo and leave you in total control of whole-house lighting that blows bulbs less frequently and even uses less electricity!
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