Soak in the Benefits of Natural Light in Your Own Home

One of the benefits of having a smart home is the ability to customize it so that it works around your schedule and makes daily life easier. But did you know that your smart home can also get in sync with your biological clock, leading to a better daily routine and overall health? Circadian lighting is one example of this technology, and installing it in your Orange County or Coto de Caza, CA, home can greatly improve your lifestyle! Keep reading to find out more about circadian light systems and why you need one in your home.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways Motorized Shades Benefit Your Smart Home

What is Circadian Lighting?

The human body has a natural 24-hour clock. It drives a person’s wake-and-sleep cycle, which affects wakefulness and sleep. Light is extremely important in this cycle because it helps influence a person’s circadian rhythm. For instance, a brightly lit room with bluish tones encourages productivity. However, a dimly lit room with warm lighting makes a person feel sleepy. That’s why most people feel more tired at night than during the day. The lack of light communicates to your body that it is time for rest and sleep.

Many people love lots of natural light in their homes. But natural light isn't always available, such as on cloudy days or in interior rooms. That’s where a circadian lighting system comes in. It adjusts the light in your home to the hue of the sun’s light outside (based on the time of day).

Benefits of Circadian Lighting

Installing circadian lights in your home helps your routine by promoting a better sleep-wake cycle. For instance, you’ll wake up more refreshed, be more productive during the day, and enjoy a restful evening as you prepare for a peaceful slumber. Standard lights are essentially one color. Even if some lights are tunable, most don’t automatically change throughout the day. Circadian lighting is an intuitive system that is designed specifically with your well-being in mind.

Lighting Control Systems Automate Your Daily Tasks and Make Life Easier

Lighting can make or break the ambiance of a room. If the lights are too bright in the home theater, you’re left squinting through the glare to decipher what’s happening on the screen. If you’re trying to have a romantic dinner with your partner and the lights are too dim, you won’t be able to stare lovingly into their eyes or see what’s on your plate. Outdoors, if the landscape lighting is off, a thief may take advantage of the situation and try to break into your home!

With an expertly installed lighting control system in your Huntington Beach, CA home, you can control every fixture individually or an entire room with a simple tap of your finger. Keep reading below to learn how Launch Systems can change the way you experience your property.

SEE ALSO: Control Your Smart Home with Just a Tap of a Button

Set It and Forget It

The days are getting shorter, and Daylight Saving Time ends next month. That means it will get dark earlier, leaving your Orange County home swathed in darkness if you’re not prepared. With a lighting control system, you’ll have the power of illumination at your fingertips! Without a second thought, you’ll be able to synchronize your landscape lighting to turn on automatically at dusk and off at sunrise. Your home will be safer and more secure in the evenings, plus you won’t be using excess energy to keep the lights on during the day when the sun is out and shining.

Support Your Natural Rhythms

Like natural sunlight, tunable white lighting can shift color temperature automatically throughout the day to support your daily mood and energy levels. In the morning, bright, cool tones of light energize you and put some pep in your step for the day ahead. In the evening, warmer, orangey tones mimic that of a beautiful sunset outside while signaling to your brain that it’s time to wind down and relax. These shifts in color temperature support your natural biological rhythms, or circadian cycle, so you can rest easier in the evenings and feel productive during the daytime, which leads to a better, more fulfilled lifestyle!

3 Ways Lutron Offers More than Smart Light Bulbs

When you hear the term smart lighting, what comes to mind? Many homeowners think it means incorporating energy-efficient, smart light bulbs that don’t need to be controlled manually with a traditional light switch. Lutron lighting systems are so much more than that! Imagine walking into your Huntington Beach, CA home and the lights working in sync with your motorized shades to control the amount of light within your home. Plus, you can update your old-fashioned light switch plates to match your décor, all while you bring improved comfort and convenience to your home. Read on to learn three ways Lutron offers more than smart light bulbs.

SEE ALSO: Motorized Window Treatments Bring Style & Convenience

Elegance & Ambiance

Lutron lighting systems control light beautifully in your California home. Light dimming technology helps you transform the mood of any room, ensuring your romantic dinner for two is just that – romantically lit without harsh lighting. Your outdoor entertainment spaces can transform into relaxing areas with dimmed or colorful lighting, too, with only a tap of a button on a wall keypad or smart device app. You can even bring elegance to your lighting controls, opting for stylish style, color and finish options that complement your interior décor. Options include the Palladiom line for an architectural aesthetic and minimalistic design that’s customizable and backlit to the GRAFIK T slider with intuitive sliding touch control that adds style to your space. Finishes range from bright chrome to antique brass to ivory to aluminum – you’re sure to find something perfect for your home.

Programmed Scenes

You can program you Lutron lighting to astronomical clocks, so outdoor lighting can turn on automatically on at dusk or off at sunrise, ensuring no wasting energy costs. With the tap of a finger on a remote or wall keypad, you can set an Away scene that turns some lights on or off and lowers shades for improved security while you’re gone from your Huntington Beach-area home.

Occupancy Sensors

Maestro sensors can determine occupancy or vacancy in any room location once installed. Rooms that are notorious for lights being left on, such as the laundry room or garage, will turn on automatically when you enter a space and turn off after a designated amount of time. Major, minor, and fine motion can be detected, depending on your preferred settings. This is also valuable for indoor security, with any motion detected triggering indoor lights to turn on and startle burglars. If you’re ready to make your California home more elegant, convenient, and safe, call Launch Systems today at (949) 515-7030 or fill out our contact form. We look forward to working with you!

Make Your Home Merry and Bright with Home Automation

Not to add to any existing stress you may have regarding the upcoming holiday season, but here’s a reminder: the holidays are right around the corner! No matter which holidays you celebrate this winter, it’s sure to be a time full of merriment, gift-giving, and gatherings with your family and friends. Why not make life a little bit simpler by incorporating the capabilities mentioned in this blog with your existing Control4 system? Or, if you want to treat your Huntington Beach, CA home to an extra special holiday gift this year, invest in a new Control4 home automation system to unleash a whole new world of possibilities for yourself, your family, and your holiday guests. Keep reading to learn more about how Control4 can help you ease the stresses of this holiday season.  

SEE ALSO: Why You Should Have Control4 Home Automation in Your Home

Individualized Access Codes

The holidays are a hubbub of activity, with family and friends entering and exiting your home more often than usual due to holiday parties and get-togethers. Do you remember the days of hiding a key under a fake rock or other un-safe yard locations so your guests could enter your home while you were away? Those days are gone, thankfully, and your Huntington Beach-area home no longer needs that potential security breach hiding in your flower bed. Instead, send a smart lock guest access code to friends and family arriving from the airport while you’re away at work. You can text or share the code with them prior to their departure. Once they arrive at your doorstep, all they need to do is type in the code and voila, keyless entry. You can monitor your home from your smart device, too, and ensure they’ve locked the doors if they need to run errands before you arrive home from work.

Deter Porch Pirates

In addition to an influx of guests, you’re probably receiving package deliveries more frequently this time of year due to an increase in your holiday shopping. Instead of losing track of the safety of your packages, utilize smart home devices that work well on their own but even better when integrated into a Control4 automation system. Video doorbells are a great addition to any Huntington Beach, CA home’s façade. Whenever the device detects motion or when someone rings your doorbell, you’ll be able to monitor the camera feed and even speak with the person at the door. You can speak with delivery drivers, unlock your smart lock remotely, and have the delivery person place your packages inside the door. You can then lock the door behind them. Any potential porch pirates will also be deterred, knowing they’d be caught in the act on video.

Lighting

Lutron lighting control can also integrate with your Control4 automation system. As guests arrive, they’ll be able to easily locate your home from the street with luminous landscape lighting and holiday string lights that automatically turned on at dusk. There’s no need to manually operate your lighting or forgetting to turn lights on because you were busy prepping for the evening’s festivities. You can sync indoor lighting with a timer or with the tap of a button on a smart device, keypad, or touchscreen, and it can all operate in sync with the rest of your home. Cozy up next to the fireplace and get into the holiday spirit with festive colored lighting, and stream your favorite holiday playlists throughout your home with a multi-room audio system.   An integrated smart home is possible and easy to use thanks to Control4 smart automation. Chat with us using the live chat at the bottom of your browser or fill out our contact form to get started on your no-obligation consultation. We look forward to helping you ease your holiday stresses.

We Tell You How Lutron Sets the Bar High in Automated Lighting

A 2017 Harris Poll asked 1,553 homeowners about their lighting preferences, and 91% cited reducing energy use was important. Despite that staggering statistic, 21% had no idea they could reduce their energy consumption by installing lighting controls in their homes. As a result of homeowners’ preferences, lighting control is taking the home automation industry by storm. You want the ability to regulate the level and quality of light in your home not only to save on energy, but also to complete specific tasks comfortably — the more control of when and where you can use light, the better. Keep reading to learn how Lutron has set the bar high for lighting control systems and why you should consider a system for your Newport Beach, CA home.

SEE ALSO: See Modern Home Automation in Action

Manage Daylight

You can manage daylight by regulating the amount of sunlight that enters your home. Use shades in conjunction with dimmers to not only create an inviting environment, but also to save energy. Your motorized shade fabrics not only compliment your design aesthetic but can filter the amount of daylight entering a room. You could always set an Away scene to make sure your shades are drawn and the thermostat isn’t running while you’re away. Talk about maximum energy savings. Daylight photosensors prevent outdoor lighting from operating during the daylight hours – you want your porch light on overnight, but there’s no need to keep it on during the day. You can adjust shades automatically with the time of day, too, raising to let light in and setting interior fixtures to dim. Occupancy sensors ensure lights aren’t left on when a room isn’t in use.

Comfort & Elegance

Lighting affects the mood of a room, so take charge of how your home feels. You can choose warm dimming for a cozy feeling; opt for bright, cool whites to keep you alert and awake for specific tasks. There’s no need to walk throughout your home, turning off the lights behind you as you prepare to head upstairs for bed. Simply tap a button on your smart device to switch the front porch light on and the downstairs lights off while you’re lying in bed! Instead of typical boring, white switches, you have a myriad of keypad plate finishes to choose from. We can even match your light switch plates to your existing interior design scheme. Not only is your Newport Beach-area home more convenient, it will exude elegance.

Voice Control

Lutron lighting can also integrate with your voice control assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. There’s no need to tap a button on your wall keypad or find your smartphone. Simply say, “Hey Google, dim the living room” to dim the lights in your living room. You can also say, “Alexa, good morning” to raise your motorized shades, turn on the bedroom light, and start playing your favorite news station. Not everything needs to be operated by voice control, though, and preprogrammed scenes can always be controlled with your wall keypad or via a smartphone app.