Smart lighting is becoming more and more prominent and accessible be that for convenience, efficiency or just style. But should one ditch the traditional lighting system and shift to smart lighting? Smart lights offer numerous benefits that customary lamps don’t! but are there disadvantages to using them? We share some of our thoughts on smart lighting here.
Considerations before Switching to Smart Lighting
Here are some reasons you should consider before upgrading to smart lighting:
Energy-Saving
Smart lamps consume less energy than incandescent traditional lamps and are on par with LED equivalents. Since you can turn your lights on or off from anywhere and even schedule them, you don’t have to leave them unnecessarily on, such as when one goes on holiday in winter or is away and typically leaves the lights on day and night in hope to deter burglars at night.
Whilst smart lighting can save you energy be aware that whilst it is turned off, it sits idle but remained connected to the internet or via Bluetooth awaiting your instruction so to answer the question we get asked “do smart lights use electric when they are turned off?”, yes, they continue to consume electric even when off though the amount is small. This electricity usage is known as ‘vampire power’ and is the case with all electrical devices that have a standby mode hence the general advice is to turn off electric devices rather than put them on standby.
UK energy price caps have shot up by 54%, causing a significant increase in household bills this spring. Considering the surge in electric prices in the UK, if you were weighing lighting options up purely from an economic and energy-saving perspective the best option would be normal LED lighting considering the smart lighting’s “vampire power” consumption. Though we cannot overlook how smart lighting can offer us cost savings and many other benefits, so the decision should be influenced by your individual use case.
Convenient
Have you ever jumped out of the bed just because you forgot to turn off the lights? With the option to switch off the lights with a button on the phone, you can avoid disturbing any light sleepers and turn them all off from the comfort of your bed.
Mood Uplifting
Switch to yellow lights to create a romantic ambience or turn to red and blues if you are in the mood to party. Dim the lights if you wish to relax or brighten them up if you feel energised. Smart lights come with a colour spectrum that you can use to personalise the room’s vibe or whilst you read, watch a movie or are ready for a nap.
More Security
Leaving your home unattended for days can be an invitation for burglars to swoop in. Whilst you are away you can schedule the lighting to automatically turn on and off thus giving the impression that someone is still there and reducing the chances of any possible break-in! There are also external smart lights that feature motion detection cameras with push notifications directly to your mobile device to give you that additional peace of mind.
Control from Anywhere
Not sure if you turned off the porch light before leaving? Just go to the lighting app on your phone and check. If you have forgotten, no problem, turn it on now or better still set a schedule!
This assumes that you have a stable internet connection on both sides and when setting up the smart lights must be within the range of your Wi-Fi network. If you live in a house with patchy internet connectivity in certain rooms or parts of the house, then you may need to consider either network adaptors or a mesh network.
Home Automation
Improved connectivity and advances in technology give us greater means of controlling and automating our home electronics and appliances. With smart lights, you can automate the lights to turn on when you arrive home, automate lamps to turn on/off according to sunrise and sunset and much more. Intrigued to learn more? Using the ‘If This Then That’ service there is a list of 14 ways to get more from smart lighting here: https://ifttt.com/explore/smart-lights-collection
Helps Set Routine
Research has proven that lighting can affect your sleep schedule and quality. Set a specific schedule for your smart lights to improve your routine. With the lights automatically turning on early morning, it will become easier for you to wake up.
If you schedule for the lights to dim or shut off at a specific time at night, it will eventually cause you to doze off early while regulating your sleep. In some smart lights, the dimming function is incremental, so it dims gradually over a longer period.
The Sleep Foundation has written an article discussing the correlation between light and sleep here: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/light-and-sleep
Home Decor
Smart lights can serve as home decor as well. With their ability to change colours, you can alter the theme of your home according to the occasion. For instance, turning the lights green or red on Christmas will give a great Christmas feeling.
Using the brightness and hue functions you can create a welcoming and homely environment for yourself and your guests.
Cost
The price of smart lighting has reduced, and they have become more accessible in recent years however are more expensive than LED alternatives though we feel if you are going to use the features, then they are a well-worth investment.
Tezelec Advice
Known for our product knowledge, we stock and supply a variety of smart lighting and are always on hand to share our knowledge (as we did for the Primal Training Gym, see project here) and help you decide what would best suit you, feel free to get in touch.
