How Commercial Lighting Control Is an Eco-Friendly & Eye-Catching Choice

Upgrade your lights and save money. It is one of the most effective ways to reduce energy consumption. By installing an energy-efficient commercial lighting control system at your business in Honolulu, HI, you improve the appearance of your property – inside and out – and give your budget a boost. 

Want to discover all the benefits of integrating new lighting with a commercial automation system? Read more to learn how a controlled lighting system offers many options, including the ability to manually and automatically adjust any number of lights throughout your building.

Money-Saving and Energy-Saving

How would you like to reduce your company’s energy usage by 20%? With a state-of-the-art commercial lighting system, you control every aspect of the lighting on your property. This helps you remotely adjust lights in areas that aren’t in use. In fact, it can be done automatically by programming scenes or using motion sensor lights. Also, LED lights are 80% more energy efficient compared to incandescent bulbs. That means big savings for your business.

That’s what Pacific Audio & Communications achieved after installing a building automation and commercial lighting control system for Del Dotto Winery. We received the CEDIA award for “Best Innovative System or Solution” for the project. From integrated security to smart lighting, we brought every technology together under one centralized system for Del Dotto Winery.

Lights That Are Easy to Operate

You may think that an innovative lighting system is complicated to use, but it’s just the opposite.

Work with PAC Hawaii on your next residential lighting design project in Maui for a better, cheaper, and faster installation

It’s no secret that homeowners increasingly view home automation systems as must-have features instead of nice extras. If you’re a developer or interior designer and you aren’t including smart security systems, whole home audio/video and similar elements in your work, you’re missing out on a substantial source of revenue.

One automation system many homeowners request is lighting control. It’s easy to see why: the convenience, aesthetic benefits and efficiency gains offered by lighting control systems make them extremely attractive. But these systems can be difficult to set up, as they often require specialized knowledge and a unique blend of skills your standard electrician doesn’t have.

That’s why you want an experienced technology integrator like Pacific Audio & Communications by your side on your next project. Today we’ll walk you through all the benefits of hiring PAC Hawaii for your upcoming residential lighting design projects in Maui, HI, whether you’re building a new home or doing a renovation.

SEE ALSO: Interior Designers’ New Best Friend: Home Lighting Control

SAVE MONEY

Time is money in any industry, and it’s particularly true in the home-building business. Whether you’re on a new construction project or a retrofit, you want to avoid costly last-minute changes. You don’t want to be ripping out drywall in a nearly finished home because a design element wasn’t accounted for, a fixture was installed incorrectly or something is off with the wiring.

Pacific Audio & Communications Creates Energy Efficient Systems in Maui, HI

Hawaii depends heavily on the use of petroleum for its energy needs, more than any other state in the country. While less than one percent of the United States’ electricity is generated using oil, by contrast, Hawaii relies on oil for 69.4 percent of its electricity production. Therefore, the state’s electricity prices are more than double the U.S. national average. What does this mean for luxury Maui, Hawaii hotels? Building automation systems allow hoteliers to effectively and efficiently manage energy consumption throughout their properties. Read on to learn about how to get started.



SEE ALSO: How to Distribute Quality Audio and Video in Your Business

Develop an Energy Management Plan

Knowing there is a better way to manage the use of energy within your hotel is a valuable realization but will do nothing to impact your bottom line unless there is an action that follows. The first step is to study how electricity is used throughout the property, where is energy being wasted or conserved. Such an evaluation will yield ways to save and therefore reduce consumption. Are spaces such as ballrooms and conference areas fully illuminated even when not in use? Can the temperature automatically be monitored and adjusted so that you need not rely on staff? The experts at Pacific Audio & Communications can make recommendations about a variety of building automation solutions that can further hotel management staff reaching their energy goals. Consider harvesting daylight by using motorized shades that respond intuitively based on the amount of available sunlight. Lights and shades can be paired to help keep large spaces from overheating resulting in an HVAC system that performs more efficiently.

Form a Team

As you develop an energy management program, you’ll want to be sure to include key employees as well as training focused on electricity-saving steps they can employ. The number of members and the team make-up will depend on the size of the organization and the amount of time and resources that can be committed to the project. Team members may also include local utility representatives or outside consultants familiar with the hotel industry.

Evaluate a Hotel’s Lighting System

A typical hotel is made up of many subsystems from water and ventilation to security and AC. A hotel’s lighting is often a good starting point since you’ll have data related to usage. Proper lighting within a hotel property requires some of the most sophisticated design. Each space within the hotel, think guest rooms, lobbies and restaurants, all need different types of lighting to create the right atmosphere. If the light is not used correctly, you’ll not only fail to set the mood, but you’ll also drive up costs related to electricity. At PAC, we partner with the best lighting designers to help you evaluate the way in which you currently use light throughout your property and the means by which you can control it. Light switches and dimming knobs are an antiquated way to adjust lighting levels. A commercial lighting control system allows you the flexibility to easily adjust lights using a keypad, hand-held remote or smart device. Hotel staff can easily recall specific lighting scenes to set the mood in various spaces throughout the property. Dimmers, sensors and timers all aid in the reduction of energy consumption.

PAC building automation systems have many additional capabilities to assist hoteliers with energy management. We’ve only just scratched the surfaces when it comes to upgrading the various systems in your hotel and would welcome the opportunity to talk to you in more detail about the possibilities.

• Save Energy with Timers
• Harness Sunlight with Sensors
• Adjust Lighting Levels with Dimmers

Enhance Oahu Home Design with Smart Lighting

Any interior designer knows the importance of having proper lighting in each room to illuminate the artwork, décor, and other design elements throughout the space. However, not every designer knows about the versatility that comes from implementing a home lighting control system in that space. We work with interior designers, architects, and homeowners throughout the Oahu, HI area to create a seamless lighting design that enhances the architecture and décor of the home.

To learn how you can use home lighting control technology to present home décor at its best, read on.

Timers

Timers ensure that the home’s décor is well lit with no extra effort for the homeowner.

• Perfect Timing: A home’s lights should be tailored to the lifestyle of the homeowner. Use timers to automatically turn lights on and off at the times that make sense for each room.
• Energy Savings: Timers save on energy costs by only lighting areas when they are needed.
• An Automatic Process: Homeowners don’t want to waste time walking into each room to turn the lights on during the day and then off again at night. Timers avoid that manual hassle.

Sensors

Make the lighting throughout the home react intelligently to certain trigger events.

• Occupancy Sensors: Keeping spotlights lit up throughout the home can be wasteful, spending excessive amounts of energy when nobody is there to admire the artwork or sculpture being illuminated. Occupancy sensors solve this problem by turning on lights whenever someone enters the room, then automatically turns off the lights after everyone leaves.
• Daylight Sensors: A daylight sensor detects how much sunlight is entering the room. On sunny days when the room is well lit, the sensor can automatically cause the dimmers in the room to lower the amount of artificial light to keep the room from being washed out with brightness. As the sun starts setting, the lights will brighten to ensure the room always has just the right lighting levels.

Dimmers

Dimmers allow interior designers to set the perfect lighting levels throughout the day for each space and activity.

• Time of Day: Using dimmers and timers together, the lighting levels can adjust from morning to afternoon to evening.
• Room: For interior rooms without much sunlight, the dimmers will keep rooms bright, but in rooms with windows, the dimmers will adjust to save energy by harvesting natural light.
• Activity: Most rooms have multiple purposes, so the lighting designer can create “scenes” for each occasion that optimize the room’s lighting for that specific activity, such as enjoying a candlelit dinner or reading a book on the sofa.

 
These three home lighting control technologies are just the tip of the iceberg of how smart home automation can enhance interior design.  Contact Pacific Audio and Communications to learn more about our process for working with interior designers to optimize lighting in the Oahu area.

• Give Buyers What They Want
• Start with a Plan
• Trust the Automation Experts

The Demand for Commercial Automation is Rapidly Growing

Smart buildings are the big new trend, and construction firms are starting to take note. More and more businesses are seeking out builders who have experience in constructing commercial buildings with integrated automation systems. Is your construction firm ready for this shift in buyer need? Keep reading to learn about the benefits of integrating commercial automation and how your Oahu, HI construction company can get started.

Enhance Your Offerings

• Personalized Solutions: Today’s business owners don’t want cookie-cutter buildings. They want buildings that are perfectly tailored to their business image and needs. Automation technology offers an easy way to provide that customization while still keeping initial construction costs low.
• Everything in One Go: Builders often work with many different contractors, bringing in companies for A/V, security, lighting design, networking, etc. When you work with an automation company, you’re able to knock out many outsourced aspects of construction in one go. Everything from the digital phone systems to the business access control can be handled by the same skilled and experienced company.

 

How to Get Started with Commercial Automation

Partner with an Automation Company

Builders and architects don’t have to take on the task of automation on their own. When you partner with an established automation company, you can rest easy knowing that they have the skill and experience to weave the technology seamlessly into your building design.

• Collaborative Effort: The automation contractor will work with your construction company from start to finish, offering guidance on everything from the initial plan through to the final optimization of the audio video system or lights.

Start from the Beginning

A common mistake that builders make is waiting until construction is complete before they bring in someone to do the automation. However, many elements of automation design and implementation are best accomplished before the building is finished, such as:

• Pre-Wiring: Automation often requires different wiring than your typical commercial building would have, especially if the building needs to support a large number of high-definition televisions or have completely reliable wireless signals throughout. To keep the building design clean, it’s best to do the wiring before walls are closed up.
• Equipment Placement: If the building is going to have hidden equipment, such as Wi-Fi boosters or control panels, it’s best to start planning on where those devices will need to be installed early.
• Lighting Design: Placing and programming smart light fixtures and sensors is an art in and of itself. With the right lighting design, commercial buildings can promote a unique ambiance while also saving on energy costs. If the automation comes after construction is complete, the possibilities for specialized lighting design are significantly restricted.

 

Take the First Step

Is it time for your construction firm to embrace commercial automation? Pacific Audio and Communications works with builders throughout Hawaii to provide superior automation systems in both new construction and remodels. To learn more about starting a partnership with Pacific Audio and Communications, contact us today.