Whitepapers

Fast facts about industry trends and issues.

Latest whitepapers

The Energy Savings Benefit of Lighting Control Systems

According to the Energy Conservation Enhancement Project at Louisiana State University, “20% of all electricity produced in the U.S. is used for lighting, but 50% of that is wasted by inefficient lighting sources or careless consumers.” This whitepaper explains how lighting controls save energy in the home and outlines several quick and easy strategies homeowners can use to reduce their electric bill and carbon footprint.

How to Create a True Home Theater Experience with Lighting Controls

The addition of a home theater creates special demands on the lighting and controls. A good lighting and control design can dramatically enhance the convenience, comfort and atmosphere of home theater viewing. This whitepaper presents several tips for ensuring the lighting and control system helps produce the highly desired home cinema experience.

Controls technology

Introduction to Home Lighting Control

Lighting controls, including dimming and switching, can be used to increase flexibility and security, set a mood, save energy and extend the life of your light bulbs. They are one of the fastest-growing home technologies because they offer a measurable impact on quality of life and home value. They're not gadgets. They're lifestyle enhancements.

Controls to Scale: From Single Switch to Whole House Lighting Control

Homeowners often ask: Which level of control is right for my me and family? The answer is: What do you want your lighting to do to enhance your lifestyle? Control options range from simple toggle switches to whole-house lighting control systems. The right choice for the homeowner will depend on their desired lifestyle and budget.

Vacancy Sensors: Big Energy Savings by Turning Off Your Lights—Automatically

If you’re like most people, it happens every day: Somebody in your house forgets to turn off the lights in a room, sometimes for hours, wasting energy. That's why vacancy sensors were invented. Ideal for bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, garages, hallways and utility spaces, these devices are switches that automatically turn the lights off when a room is unoccupied.

Convenient and Economical Lighting Control Options for Existing Homes

In existing homes, the cost and hassle of wiring a house for lighting control is an obstacle to many consumers. Fortunately, homeowners can adopt convenient and economical lighting control solutions that either communicate using existing power wiring or by radio frequency, enabling easy access to the benefits of automated lighting control with less downtime and disruption.

Design issues

How to Create a True Home Theater Experience with Lighting Controls

Fundamentals of Home Lighting Design: Layering with Light

Good residential lighting design typically involves layering ambient, accent and task lighting to create interesting contrasts and establish focal points, or points of interest where attention is focused. By simply dimming the lights, the owner can affect visual comfort, change contrasts, create mood and alter perception of the space. When using a preset scene control system, different lighting scenes can be created and recalled whenever desired with the touch of a button.

Layering with Lighting Controls: Kitchen Example

This whitepaper presents a kitchen where dimming and layering are used to create scenes, extend convenience and flexibility, and make the lighting design itself more robust.

Energy issues

The Energy Savings Benefit of Lighting Control Systems

Energy Act of 2007: Impact on General-Service Light Bulbs and Lighting Controls

Consumers interested in the convenience and lifestyle benefits of dimming using dimmers and dimming systems should be aware of major energy legislation that will have a big impact on their lighting choices and dimming performance starting in 2012.

Energy Act of 2007: Impact on Reflector Light Bulbs and Controls

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) includes highly publicized efficiency provisions taking aim at today’s 40-100W general-service screw-in incandescent light bulbs. These provisions begin to take effect in 2012. However, there is another major provision regulating incandescent light bulbs—this one targeting incandescent reflector light bulbs (lamps), which took effect in June 2008.

Compact Fluorescent Dimming: Buyer Beware

Most CFLs are not designed for dimming; dimming a non-dimmable CFL could damage the bulb and the dimmer. CFLs rated for dimming, or dimmable CFLs, meanwhile, exhibit a number of performance issues that should be understood prior to dimming.

For integrators

"Design Centers: Key Tool for Sales of Lighting/Home Controls"

Citing the proverb "seeing is believing," David A. Bruce of Square D/Clipsal believes showrooms provide a critical tool for systems integrators, electrical contractors and retailers interested in promoting automated lighting controls to their customers.

Resources

Brochures, downloadable in PDF format, that educate homeowners about how lighting controls can transform their lifestyle by adding the convenience of push-button control.

Fact Sheet for Homeowners
Brochure for Homeowners