Additional Sockets & Lights
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Lighting and Home Automation

Thinking about making the switch to LED lighting?

If you are installing new lighting or upgrading your existing home lighting, then there has never been a better time to switch to LED (Light Emitting Diode). In times of austerity and a need to reduce emissions, LED provides the ultimate solution. LED lights are being hailed as the future of home lighting, as they use very little energy and have an extraordinary long life compared to their energy saving predecessors: a particular advantage for the elderly and less able.

Unlike the early energy saving Halogen and Compact Fluorescent Lamp alternatives, when turned on LED’s become instantly bright without a delay. LED’s differ in the way they operate and because of this they produce very little heat, reducing the risk of combustion or burns, and therefore bringing additional safety benefits.

LED uses 85% less energy than traditional incandescent lamps and sometimes even pay for themselves in just the first few months; Therefore whilst the upfront costs might be higher, you will notice a difference in your annual energy bill. By contrast, Compact Fluorescent Lamps use 70% less energy than incandescent lamps, and Halogen use only 25% less, both have a short life span when compared with LED.

Good quality LED lamps can have a predicted life of 25,000 hours or more meaning that they can last 25 times longer than an incandescent light bulb. That equates to a lifespan of more than 3 years if turned on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

LED lights provide versatility because of their unique characteristics, which include compact size, ease of maintenance, resistance to breakage due to epoxy lenses rather than glass, and the ability to focus the light in a single direction instead of having a wider, uncontrollable distribution of light.

Smart Lighting Design

Smart lighting provides you the ability to programme and store scenes, moods or specific lighting requirements and then recall them: either remotely using your smart phone, or within the home at the touch of a single button.

It adds style, ambiance, convenience and energy efficiency to your home giving you complete control. You can set scenes for relaxing, entertaining or even to ensure your safety when coming home from work.

When it comes to light, the key is to understand the three main types of lighting: ambient, task and accent. Ambient light is the basic general illumination. Accent lighting is for aesthetic purposes – it allows you to highlight different parts of the room or features. Task lighting is your practical light – it means that when you’re performing specific activities you can see what you are doing.

Creating lighting layers

When you start thinking of these three kinds of lighting – ambient, accent and task – you can plan how to balance your layers of light for an overall look and feel.

Control Devices

Smart lighting can be controlled either by a programmable scene control panel within your home or remotely using iphone / ipad and Android App via the internet. Depending on the manufacturer further automation such as opening and closing your curtains or blinds can also be achieved enhancing your home comfort and security.

Setting the Scene / Mood

Scene setting gained its name in the theatre where it was originally being used to create lighting changes between various scenes. From there it developed and has for some time been used in the commercial sector to create alluring window displays and alike.

Rather than randomly adjusting a number of dimmer switches in order to create the desired atmosphere. Once installed in the home, scene setting allows the user to select from a number of pre-programmed lighting arrangements at the press of a button according to the mood, task and time of day.

Lighting controlled in this way definitely falls in line with the modern trend for ‘smarter’ homes. A trend that, with the right information to hand for householders, can result in lower bills.

If you’re using a wider refurbishment as an opportunity to upgrade lighting and create the best effects then we recommend considering scene setting.

On a full rewire or when extending your home we would always recommend putting in 5amp sockets. That facilitates being able to switch or dim table and floor lamps using a scene setting control. It allows the floor / table lamps to become part of the scene.

Smart Home

Smart technology now allows every day, affordable solutions to enhancing home comfort, maintaining security and reducing energy costs.

Just imagine as you leave from work, turning on the heating, closing the blinds and putting on the outdoor security lights ready for your return.

From an energy standpoint, turning on what you need, at the level you need it and when you need it makes economic sense.

123 Electricians work with a number of manufacturers and would welcome the opportunity to work with you in order to create your unique, personalised Smart home.