Lutron manufactures two major lines of home lighting controls designed to control lighting at the individual room level. Lutron also engineers whole house lighting control systems, which we will deal with in a separate article on our site. Today’s article focuses only on the two most prominent lighting controls for homes: the Spacer System home light control designed for multiple lighting scene selection, and the GRAFIK Eye preset home light control. Lutron home light control is intended to reflect personal ideals, lifestyle habits, and home entertainment activities, and they are intended to seamlessly integrate into the interior architecture of even the most custom homes.
Spacer System
The Spacer System provides the advantage of home lighting control through an infrared remote unit that manipulates several lighting circuits linked in tandem by a wireless master controller. Because it takes a “less is more” approach to equipment in general, it represents an excellent retrofit option for homeowners on a budget, because Spacer System home lighting control dimmers can replace existing dimmers and communicate via the wireless master controller.
Spacer System dimmers can control the lighting levels of any and all fixtures in the room, including ceiling lights, accent lights, table lights, and floor lamps. You can create any particular scene appropriate to the master bedroom, den, home entertainment center, or master bath, and then save them in your controller. The system will store up to five lighting scenes per room, providing one-touch access to different levels of task lighting for activities, accent lighting for ambiance, or a subtle touch of both.
GRAFIK EYE
The Lutron GRAFIK Eye home light control system is designed to allow instant switchover to any number of preset lighting scenes. It is based on more advanced technology than the Spacer System ,and it is generally recommended for larger, custom houses and lighting control systems integrated with home automation networks, whole house audio, home security, and high-end home theaters. It also continues to gain momentum in the commercial lighting world, where it is becoming a polar source of boardroom lighting and hospitality lighting applications.
When an authorized Lutron Dealer such as ILD configures your GRAFIK Eye or Homeworks system, we subdivide the lighting circuits in the room to create “lighting zones.” This allows your home lighting control system to then turn certain lights on at full power and leave other lights only partially powered on, or not powered on at all. This variation in lighting intensity is the key to creating subtle and complex lighting effects and themes within a room. The intention in each case is to match areas of brightness and shadows to the pace and nature of activities transpiring in that room. This not works to facilitate the activity on a functional level, but it also helps create an emotional tone congruent to the activity itself.
To switch to a different lighting theme, simply press a button on your infrared remote, and your home automation control system will automatically go to the next scene. The GRAFIK Eye can also be programmed to do this automatically, manipulating both indoor and outdoor lights at various times of the day, evening, or night. You can automate it to turn lights on and off at different times of the evening, such as sun down or just after dark. This high level of control is beneficial to both home entertainment and home energy savings. Home Theater users rely on GRAFIK Eye home dimming controls to lower the shades and dim the lights when movie time rolls around. People who like to host parties find that varying the lights can create everything from relaxing ambience to intensity for games and lively conversation. To change the lighting theme, simply press a button on your infrared remote.
Call a Specialist to Help You Decide!
While these controls are designed for maximum user friendliness, it takes an authorized Lutron reseller like Illuminations Lighting Design to correctly design, install, and configure either system in today’s sophisticated residential space. Call 1-800-863-1184 for a free estimate on either one of these fantastic room-based home lighting control systems, and let one of our lighting control experts develop and install a system ideally tailored to your personal home, lifestyle, needs, and desires.
Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting, electrical service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters, emergency generators, surge protection systems, phone systems and lighting control systems.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting and design services in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond. Call us today at 800-863-1184, visit our lighting blog or request a consultation online using our contact us form.Labels: Electrical contractor Houston Texas, Home Automation Lighting Systems, Home Lighting Controls, Lutron Dimmer Switches, Vantage lighting controls
Wiring a modern home takes careful thought and planning. Some of today's residences range from 1,500 square foot custom homes, to as much as 35,000 square feet on some mansions. Add to the growing size of homes the sheer diversity of electrical equipment that has arrived on the residential scene--such as home theaters, home automation systems, security systems and outdoor lighting--and you might as well be wiring a small commercial building! Gone are the days of providing a few extra circuits, looping the telephone wire from room to room, or installing simple dimmer controls. Today's electrical contractors must understand and manage a plethora of subsystems that include everything from emergency generators to lighting control systems. Where there were once traditional switches on the wall, you now find keypads and touch screens. Standby generators have become the norm, rather than the exception.
Illuminations Lighting Design is a licensed electrical contractor servicing the Houston area and numerous surrounding municipalities in the Texas Gulf Coast region. From new home wiring, service changes, and remodeling--to basic troubleshooting of electrical problems--Illuminations can handle all of your electrical contracting needs from start to finish.
For over 25 years, Illuminations Lighting Design has built and nurtured a reputation for unparalleled performance, reasonable rates and fast, friendly service in the demanding custom home market. Our experienced staff of design professionals and licensed electricians are dedicated to providing innovative electrical solutions that incorporate emerging technologies for both residential and commercial customers.Our full time master electrician oversees a staff of over thirty licensed electricians who ensure that all work is efficiently and safely laid out, and conforms to the National Electrical Code and all local codes. Each of our fine apprentice electricians are required to attend a four-year training program at the Independent Electrical Contractors School while gathering valuable experience on the job before taking the journeyman's exam. All journeymen electricians are required to attend periodic continuing education courses to keep them updated on electrical codes and new technologies.
Simply put, our staff is Illuminations Lighting Design's greatest asset. We are fortunate as an electrical contractor to employ and retain such a highly skilled workforce of craftsmen and mechanics who enjoy what they do. Working carefully and efficiently, they will treat your home with respect while ensuring the job gets done right. Their pride, persistence, quality and determination are the hallmark of Illuminations Lighting Design's tradition. Our testimonials page offers proof of that fact.
Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service electrical company. We take great pride in our ability to help customers solve their electrical problems and meet their personal objectives. Whether that service comes in the form of assistance from Illuminations management team, supervisors, or any of our 50 plus employees, Illuminations Lighting Design is ready to help you meet your goals. Call 713-863-1133 to inquire about our quality lighting and electrical services.
Labels: Electrical contractor Houston Texas, Emergency Power Generators, Exterior Lighting Contractor, Houston Residential Electrical Contractors, Residential Electrician, Specialty Lighting Contractor
It can be difficult in today's construction environment to find a qualified electrician who specializes in high end residential homes. That's because most electricians jump between companies and never really find a home or build a loyal following of clients that they serve. At Illuminations Lighting Design we consider our electrical staff to be like family and work with them to develop long term careers here at Illuminations. We have electricians you can depend on, not only for their expertise, but also for their utmost professionalism and respect for your home. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.
Today's custom homes can take many, many months, often even years, to complete construction. When you've invested that much time, effort, and money in your home, you need to be assured that your construction team is there for the duration. The last thing you want to be worrying about is finding a replacement electrician because the other guy didn't show up, went out of business - you name it! After all, this guy knows where the wires are run, how to get from point A to point B and how to quickly fix a problem when it occurs.
Having been in business for over 25 years, one of the hallmarks of Illuminations Lighting Design is the ability to find and keep quality residential electricians who are familiar with the latest equipment, light fixtures, building techniques and electrical codes. Our electricians will be there to serve you from day one through the life of your home. Our workers are polite, courteous and will respect your privacy and belongings. They are even available for special events such as parties, where it would be a disaster if something went wrong, or the power went out. What's a party without the Margarita machine!
Our electricians are trained to work on any project from a simple faulty switch to the city's most high-end lighting, control systems and electrical systems. And the job need not be new construction, or whole house. Much of our work involves enhancing existing homes. They are skilled at adding lighting fixtures in finished rooms, often without having to cut the ceiling. Read what people have to say about us!
Sometimes you may not even be having an electrical issue - often a fine tuning of your existing lighting can bring your space to life in a way you'd never imagined. Our service teams are available to aim adjustable accent lights, accounting for beam spread, lensing, and aiming angle so that your home, artwork, and furnishings are perfectly illuminated.
All our electricians are licensed in the State of Texas, Houston, surrounding communities and the villages around the city of Houston, under the supervision of Louis Torregrossa, Master Electrician. Our crews, consisting of a Journeyman and helper, have the support and depth to handle just about any situation or electrical emergency that you might have.
Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting installation, service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters and lighting control systems. For more information we can be reached locally at 713-863-1133 or toll free at 800-863-1184.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Electrical contractor Houston Texas, Home and Garden Landscape Lighting, Independant Residential Electrical Contractor, Independant Residential Electrical Work
Founded by Tom Kretzschmar and Jim Stephens back in 1980, Illuminations Lighting Design was formed as a subsidiary of Rulon Electric Company to focus on the art of lighting.
Tom became interested in the idea of specialty lighting and saw its potential in the Houston area, especially among customers of the family business. His grandfather, Eldred Otis Rulon, at the end of World War II, started the electrical service company that bears his name, catering to the city's upper economic echelon. Tom's father, Gary, who had married Otis's daughter, May Lee, was eventually handed the reigns of the business and set it on a path of aggressive growth.
After attending Southwest Texas State University and joining the family business, he met Jim Stephens who also had an interest in lighting. Stephens had taught theatrical lighting design at Syracuse University and later was head lighting designer at the famous Alley Theater in Houston. After his career with the Alley, he and Kretzschmar teamed up to created what is now know today as Illuminations Lighting Design.
As a unique two man team, Tom and Jim, quickly honed their skills and created a growing list of loyal clients who appreciated their passion for lighting. Interestingly, twenty five years later, with a staff of 45, Illuminations Lighting Design is still the only game in town doing what is does and is the largest as well. This includes almost everything related to lighting, encompassing consulting, designing, installations, sales and maintenance for interior, exterior landscape lighting as well as home automation services.
To continue the dream and expand the company services, new design and engineering talent has been added to the war chest of talent at Illuminations. Rick Luberger heads the Landscape Lighting division of the company. Louis Torregrossa, master electrician, heads the Electrical Division of the firm. Tom Kretzschmar continues to be a driving force behind the synergy of talent and maintain contact with their precious list of loyal customers.
Illuminations Lighting Design has evolved into a "one stop shop" for everything electrical in your home or office. Our clients live mostly in River Oaks, West University and Memorial and a few other upper end neighborhoods. They also extend to commercial developments and private homes such as Wyoming ranches, Colorado resorts, New Mexico retreats, Oklahoma mansions, Louisiana plantations, and New York lofts to name a few.
For more information regarding the services from Illuminations Lighting Design, visit our web site at www.illuminationslighting.com or contact us toll free at 800-863-1184.
Join us in celebrating our 25th year of business by viewing our Client Testimonials to see what people are saying about our services. Like music, lighting sets the mood!
Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Electrical contractor Houston Texas, Home and Garden Landscape Lighting, Home Automation Specialists, Houston Electrical Construction Experts
You're wise to be considering a lighting control system - there are many advantages! One of the main features that our clients like is that with a dimming system you can potentially control ANY of the loads on the system from ANY of the controls or keypads. Additionally you can CHANGE though programming what each keypad controls at any point in the future should your mind change - not something you can do with hardwired switches. This may seem somewhat frivolous at first, but can actually be an excellent tool for both convenience and safety. For example: You can program a button at the top of your stairs to turn off all of the lights downstairs - handy for coming to bed at the end of a long day. Likewise you can have a button by your garage that will turn off any lights that have been left on throughout the house - great for convenience and energy savings! Or turn on a pathway of lights when you come home.
A lot of people like that they can have a "panic" button in their bedroom that, when pressed, will turn on all the lights on the house (or a select pathway), a comforting feature should you think you hear an intruder or have a medical emergency. You can even have, for instance, your front porch lights flash when this button is pressed to guide authorities to the correct house in the event of an emergency. A one-button-control for multiple loads is handy aesthetically too. Assuming your lighting design includes circuits for ambient lights, multiple accent groupings, decorative lights, task, lamps, etc, you will have many loads in each room. To have to turn on, let alone "set," each of these loads every time you walk in the room would be a huge disruption. Instead you can have one keypad at the door with preset scenes that will bring up all the right loads to the right level.
An additional benefit to a lighting control system is that it has several built in features. Among them is an astronomical time clock that allows you, for example, to set your landscape lighting to come on at sunset everyday and turn off at sunrise. No more having to change a time clock from 5 to 6 to 7 as the seasons change, dealing with faulty photocells, or worse, having to remember to turn switches on and off.
One of the favorite benefits of a Lutron Radio Ra lighting control system, from an aesthetic standpoint, is simply that you have much less wall clutter. As I mentioned, once you get several circuits in a large room (and often multiple entries from which to control them) you can literally wind up with banks of wall box dimmers a foot or more in length at each door. That's neither convenient nor attractive! Putting all those loads on a control system will allow you to have one sleek keypad the size of a single switch or (smaller) in any location that you want control.
For more information on lighting control systems please contact the home automation department at Illuminations Lighting Design or call toll free at 800-863-1184.
Labels: Austin Lighting Control Systems, Electrical contractor Houston Texas, Lutron lighting controls, Radio Ra Beaumont, San Antonio Lighting Design
Lutron manufactures two major lines of home lighting controls designed to control lighting at the individual room level. Lutron also engineers whole house lighting control systems, which we will deal with in a separate article on our site. Today’s article focuses only on the two most prominent lighting controls for homes: the Spacer System home light control designed for multiple lighting scene selection, and the GRAFIK Eye preset home light control. Lutron home light control is intended to reflect personal ideals, lifestyle habits, and home entertainment activities, and they are intended to seamlessly integrate into the interior architecture of even the most custom homes.
