Choosing the Right Lighting System When Building a New House

No home owner wants the new house they just built to be outdated before even moving in. Unfortunately, this scenario is happening often because standard wiring is no longer sufficient to meet the electronic needs of many home buyers today, let alone the needs of the future.

Home owners in the midst of building a new house or renovating their existing home can't help but dream big. They envisage plush kitchens fitted with the latest appliances, designer bathrooms and striking living rooms. However one feature that is commonly overlooked is the lighting.

Given the advanced technology of today's systems, there is no reason why you shouldn't take advantage of the benefits of a lighting control system. After all, a well installed lighting control system could make the difference between a nice looking house and a stunner. With the skillful hand of designers and installers, the system can bathe your art collection in the soft, beautiful light it deserves, accentuate architectural elements that may be hiding in shadows, and make your home look and feel young. Just as importantly it can give your family a more convenient and efficient way to manage the many lights in your home.

Interior decor like furniture, paint and artwork can only take a house so far and achieving lighting harmony with conventional switches is complicated. There is hardly a new home today that doesn't feature down-lights or halogen lights to produce a spectacular effect in living areas, hallways, entrances and more. There are also case lights and spotlights for artwork and display shelves, energy saving lamps for everyday use, garden and outdoor lighting and many others.

Having all these lights is all very well, but controlling them with manually operated switches or dimmers can be confusing and annoying, apart from the fact that replicating the same lighting effect again can take a long and frustrating time. In reality, such homes are crying out for lighting control systems. Lighting systems can not only offer superior control but can replace the numerous switches with one attractive, pre-programmed control keypad.

Lighting control systems use coordinated light switching to operate groups of light fixtures at predetermined levels of brightness. They offer convenience, energy efficiency safety and security and they make your home look more beautiful. Imagine an elegant new car without electric windows -- that's your new house without a lighting control system.

But what should one look out for when deciding which lighting system to install?

Normally, budgets are the first things to be considered, but there are other major issues that surround this decision. First and foremost, one should make sure that the lighting system meets the power demands that will be required. Many systems will fit in this category, but it is surely a start and this will eliminate the systems that would force you to compromise your needs. A typical example would be systems that can only handle up to 500 watts of power. This rating will limit the choice of fixtures and power demand.

Another issue which is often overlooked is the use of mechanical relays within a lighting system. If you plan to install the system close to a bedroom or quiet area, then mechanical relays are not for you. Like all mechanical systems, relays produce an audible sound when they switch on or off. In a noisy environment, this sound is hardly heard, but the relay "clicks" will seem like elephant steps when there is peace and quiet. Therefore, make sure the system uses solid state relays.

The next factor to consider should be the connectivity. In most cases people installing a lighting system would also be considering other electronic components in the house, such as audio/video, touch panels and remotes, security systems, etc. These systems work very well on their own, but when all systems communicate together they form a synergy that will enhance the benefits that are expected from such systems. It is therefore very important that your lighting system is able to integrate seamlessly with the other components of the house.

Next in line come the other factors that are usually associated with such lighting systems, like scalability, aesthetics, warranty and many other issues. Therefore, when choosing a lighting system for your new home, planning and research are the key success factors.