Ensure the Projects You Build Will Stand the Test of Time
More and more frequently, builders and other tradesmen are collaborating with custom electronics professionals to help make their projects smart home ready. As the market for integrated technology continues to grow, smart home prewiring is becoming essential in areas like Oahu, HI and beyond. But now that the analog sunset has happened, there are some big changes happening. In this blog, we’ll explain why builders should be concerned with smart digital prewiring solutions. Read on below.



See Also: Is Your Audio Video System Prepared for the Analog Sunset?
The Importance of Prewiring
Prewiring is the act of laying the network foundation for future electronic devices as the property is being built. The benefits of this are obvious: if the wires are installed before the walls are fully built, it’s easier to avoid costly rework time down the line. By collaborating with an established professional custom electronics installer from the beginning, you can make sure the end user gets exactly what they want the first time around.

Understanding the Analog Sunset
At the start of the decade, the analog sunset began to take effect. Essentially, it meant that devices would no longer include analog inputs and outputs, like RCA connectors, and would solely include digital input and outputs, like HDMI. That has slowly taken effect over the past few years. Now that no new audio video components offer analog connections, properties throughout Hawaii have been rendered unprepared for easily installing many modern smart home features.

So that means today’s wiring is different from what it was 10 years ago. Whether you’re building a room to be a dedicated home theater, or simply a versatile living room, there are new requirements that you’ll need to meet if you want to avoid coming back to rework the same project.

How to Avoid Analog Sunset Rework
Here are some helpful tips any builder can take to make sure the project is completed to customers’ satisfaction the first time around:

• Ensure that digitally-capable cables are being used throughout the house. HDMI cables are perfect for a home theater system, but AV signals have to travel across great distances. Your partner integrator can define a wiring scheme with fiber optic and other appropriate cables to ensure the best signal over any distance.
• Find out if the homeowner is looking to automate any satellite houses or garage spaces. Often homeowners don’t realize that a hardwired connection is possible between the main house and the pool house. Integrators can lay down long range digital cables throughout the entire property before the build is complete.
• Don’t neglect rooms that aren’t typically AV ready. Modern technology means homeowners can enjoy streaming music in the kitchen and TV in the bathroom. Collaborate closely with your integration partner to find out exactly what they can do to make sure the property is ready.

Looking for an established AV partner in the Oahu, HI area? Contact Pacific Audio and Communications today!

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.

Make Sure You’re Getting the Reliability and Performance You Need

On our blog, we’ve talked a lot about the many benefits of smart home automation – energy efficiency, convenience, comfort, property value, etc. But deciding that you want the benefits of a smart home is the easy part. The struggle for many homeowners is finding a smart home company that will do the job right. With so many contractors in the Honolulu, HI area, how can you know for sure which one is the right fit for your needs? There are a lot of factors to consider, but here are three key characteristics you should look for.

1.   Appropriate Licensing

Effective July 1^st, a new ordinance in Hawaii requires all AV contractors in the state to have an electrical journeyman’s license. This licensing helps to ensure that the person working on your smart home project has the skill and knowledge to do the job right.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a good process in place to track down and stop smart home installers who are operating without a license. The good news is that all licenses are kept on record, and you can easily check to see if the company you’re considering has the appropriate licensure by visiting Hawaii’s Professional & Vocational Licensing website.

2.   Experience

If you’re relying on a contractor who has never done AV or automation work before, you’re simply not going to get high-quality work. A smart home automation system needs to be installed seamlessly into your home and work great both now and in the future. Here are some ways to assess experience level:

• Find out how long they’ve been in business
  • A company that has been around for more than a decade likely knows what they’re doing
• Ask to see work samples
  • A picture is worth a thousand words. If they can’t provide you with examples of previous work, it might be because they don’t have any. Of course, you can also assess the quality of the installation from the imagery.
• Ask for references
  • If previous customers are happy with the smart home company’s work, they’ll have no problem putting in a good word.

3.   Insurance

Just like with an electrician, roofer, or plumber, it’s not a good idea to hire a smart home company that is not insured. Your smart home installer will be working with electrical wiring and components, and in the unlikely event that there is an accident or injury, it’s not worth the risk of having to pay for it yourself. Instead, choose a company with appropriate insurance, and you can rest easy knowing that everything is covered.

SEE ALSO: Why Building a Strong Infrastructure for Your Smart Home Pays Off
When you find a quality company for smart home automation, you’ll have the assurance that your home will be taken care of for years to come. At Pacific Audio & Communications, we do every smart home installation to the best of our abilities. Our low voltage contractors are licensed, insured, and experienced. We also provide 24x7x365 tech support for all of our clients.

If you’d like to learn more, please contact us today by calling 808-386-5963 or filling out this quick form.

 

Another happy client, this one from our Kauai office, Mr Gary Henderson.

It is a real pleasure to recommend the services of Pacific Audio and Communication. They just installed a Home Theater System in our Large Room and a beautiful, fully controllable, dispersed audio (music) system throughout our house. Alex designed the system(s) and Chris did the installation. Both are real \"pros\" - knowledgeable, great sense of what the client needs are, meticulous in their work, and lightening fast in responding to questions/concerns.
I am an Apple \"addict\", a bit concrete in my thinking, like designs that are minimal/clean, modern, and don\'t like to be oversold on things I don\'t really need (am I a customer from hell?). Well, I was completely won over by Pacific Audio! They patiently educated me on the state-of-the-art AV technology, worked with me through multiple design changes, installed everything with minimal disruption (e.g., ceiling speakers in every room, but did not require a bit of touch-up painting or clean-up), and their \"tech support\" rivals Apple (I\'m not kidding).
My last request of them? Could you please move my new (BIG) flat-screen TV down a bit (4 inches!!!). Their response? \"No problem\" and was done the next day (even though it took two people because it is really big and heavy).
I can give you many more examples of \"beyond my expectations\", but just let me conclude with -
I heartily recommend Pacific Audio & Communications, enthusiastically, and without any reservations Gary Henderson