FIXTURES & FINISHES
See the light
Omid Nikroo of Loxone UK shares some advice on smart lighting and why you should consider it for your build
L
ighting has been a ubiquitous feature in our homes since time .immemorial. Granted, the methods we use to light our homes may have changed over the years, but the basic premise has remained the same. We’re now entering a ‘new age’ of lighting, moving away from the days of mere ‘on’ and ‘off’ to embracing technology as a way of improving how lighting affects the appearance and feel of a home.
Interestingly, many people don’t give lighting much thought when it comes to budget allocation, however, it’s often the single biggest influence on the way we feel when we’re in a space, so getting it right is key. Lighting can be used to highlight features, furniture or favourite works of art. It can be used to zone areas, which is especially useful if your build is of the open-plan inclination.
It’s important to consider different sources of light when planning spaces for your home. If we think of an open- plan kitchen/diner, we might have several different light circuits – some spotlights in the kitchen ceiling, some pendant lights over the dining table, perhaps a floor lamp, and some LED strip underneath the kitchen cabinets. Controlling all of these circuits individually would be a real pain. That’s where smart lighting comes in.
SMART LIGHTING
In it’s simplest form, smart lighting affords you greater control over the lights within your home. There are many options out
there – from bulbs that you can purchase from your high street electrical retailer, to much more advanced systems that integrate with other aspects of your home.
More advanced smart lighting systems allow you to create ‘moods’ or ‘scenes’, by creating pre-set combinations of different lighting circuits, colours and brightnesses.
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www.sbhonline.co.uk INSTALLATION
The technology of today moves at lightning speed, keeping up with the fact that lifestyles are increasingly fast- moving too. Your wiring infrastructure is the backbone of your home.
While it’s easy to replace devices such as motion sensors or switches, having to open up walls to pull extra cables is much more costly and inconvenient. Therefore it’s important to speak to your electrician or find a smart home professional early on in the build to help design a suitable system that
will work for you and your home. There are different ways you can wire a smart lighting system. Traditionally, lighting circuits are wired on a ring main. Smart home systems can be wired on a ‘bus’ basis or ‘star-wired’ back to a central point, and some solutions offer a more flexible, free-form way of wiring. Whichever option you choose, it’s important to consider the functionality you require from your home, and to plan for anything you may be considering in the future.
july/august 2017
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