Home Lighting Control Can Help You Conserve Energy and Go Green

In a breakdown of the typical residential utility bill, the EPA’s Energy Star program estimated that lighting costs made up 12.5% of the total bill. Now, we know that lighting isn’t the biggest energy suck in your Lake Oswego, OR, home (that honor goes to the HVAC system), but that still comes out to a significant amount of money spent every year. And your percentage might be even higher depending on the size of your house.

A smart home lighting control system can reduce your energy output and save you money on monthly utility bills. Every little bit helps, and over time those small reductions will add up to big savings. Keep reading to learn 3 ways smart lighting can help you save money and be more eco-conscious.

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Utilize Dimming Functions

Traditional light switches offer you 2 choices in a room: a blindingly bright “on” and a pitch-black “off.” In contrast, a smart lighting system with controllable dimmers offers you both of those options plus everything in between.

Dimmers ensure that the level of light in a room reflects the actual need for it. At 10 p.m. on a Tuesday, you don’t need bright light in your bedroom. Instead, you need softer, lower light to help you wind down and prepare for sleep. You can even control smart dimmers from an app on your smartphone and set the ambiance you desire without getting out of bed.

Using dimmers to produce low-level lighting at the appropriate times helps you cut back on electricity use and conserve your lightbulbs for longer. You’ll save money on both ends!

Add Sensor Technology

Another fantastic way to save energy is to integrate motion sensors with your smart lighting system. Occupancy/vacancy sensors automatically turn on the lights in a room when someone enters and turn them back off when the room is empty. Sensors help solve a classic case of absentmindedness: forgetting to turn off the lights in a room after you leave. Even just a few hours of lighting an unoccupied room can tick up your electricity bill for the month.

Sensors are especially useful if you have kids who run around the house and flip lights on but don’t remember to turn them back off again. Now, you don’t have to waste time checking every light in your home once the kids are in bed.

Control Lighting From Near and Far

How many times have you driven all the way to work in the morning only to wonder if you’d left the kitchen light on at home? A smart lighting system can help you put those fears to rest for good.

With home lighting control, you can access your system anytime, anywhere using an app on your smartphone or tablet. With one-touch control, you can remotely check the status of all lights and turn off any that were still on when you left.

Whether you’re at work for the day, away for the weekend or out of town for a week on vacation, take comfort in the fact that you never need to come back to a huge, surprise electricity bill from forgotten lights.

Don’t take on a big lighting installation project by yourself. At Eighteen Group, let us help you find the custom solution that’s right for your Lake Oswego, OR, home. Call us today at 503-515-1192 or fill out our contact form to get started.