Remember the “AV Guy,” who became the go-to pro for homeowners during the boom in home theater demand during the 1980s and ’90s? Well, just as dramatic as the shift in home technology since those times, the stereotypical “AV Guy” has evolved to become much more—today’s pros tie together all manner of systems beyond audio-visual.
Now, they are commonly known as “custom integrators” or “home technology integrators” and often have an expansive portfolio of products and services that work in synergy. That includes everything from AV to security and video surveillance to lighting controls and motorized shades to enterprise-grade networking, energy management, and myriad other smart home systems.
While all of that may sound like a lot to handle, not only do integrators understand how to bring together these elements cohesively (literally too, through extensive wiring and cabling) but they do so while making control of the lighting systems, for example, as simple as possible for their clients.
Why Is LED Lighting Trending in Today’s Market?
The latest and biggest trending technology in the custom integration segment is LED lighting fixtures. It’s no longer recommended for builders, architects, and interior designers—with whom integrators have forged impactful relationships—to spec basic “contractor-grade” fixtures for the electrician to install when home tech pros can deliver so much more with current LED products.
Homeowners have come to trust the expertise of technology integrators, and manufacturers have embraced these professionals for the acumen, pragmatism, creativity, and customization with which integrators use their products and systems. This is especially true for the evolution and benefits of lighting fixtures and controls.
Here are some important reasons why homeowners and architects, interior designers, and builders should turn to HTA Certified custom integrators to deliver their lighting fixture needs.
LED Fixtures Changed the Game for Designers and Integrators
Lighting has become more complex with greater potential than previous technologies thanks to the advent of LED lighting. While major energy savings originally distinguished LEDs from common incandescent, fluorescent, and compact fluorescent (CFL), they have also changed the paradigm for installation. The latest LED lighting fixtures feature tunable white light and color-tunable adjustability to dial in brightness and color temperature, too.
Integrators are typically better equipped than electricians to specify and design lighting systems using LED lighting fixtures that eliminate flickering, poor dimming, and offer better lighting quality while also enhancing a home’s overall lighting efficacy and versatility.
Having a say in the lighting products selection enables integrators to best match the right lighting fixtures to their preferred lighting and smart home control systems. Clients can count on HTA Certified firms to deliver hassle-free, pleasingly aesthetic solutions that are easy to use and augment their smart home capabilities.
Being “integrators,” pros can tether the lighting controls and fixtures to work harmoniously with automated shades to provide a desired balance of artificial and natural lighting for every space that includes windows.
With wide-ranging LED performance possibilities, integrators can program a variety of preset commands via the control system, allowing homeowners to enjoy proper illumination in a room without having to manually tinker with it.
It’s a Team Effort to Present High-Performing Lighting Design
As mentioned, custom technology integrators have cultivated trade partner relationships that can play an important role when it comes to lighting design.
Among the most essential for this job are lighting designers, interior designers, and architects, which can deploy white light- and color-tunable LED lighting fixtures to deliver proper brightness and color temperature that will impact a room.
Using their expertise and experience to formulate “layers of lighting,” designers can work with integrators to implement those effects and elevate lighting benefits for clients. This involves specifying the appropriate fixtures for whatever tasks homeowners do in that space.
Consider a kitchen, which may combine different types of lighting fixtures with specific brightness and color temperatures for the task at hand—bright for dinner prep on the island, comfortable and warmer for dining, and soft ambient tape lighting under the cabinets, for instance. Living rooms may call for accent lighting to make artwork pop or a tray ceiling stand out, for example.
In addition to in-house or third-party lighting designers, another benefit of hiring an integrator to take charge of a home’s lighting is collaborating with manufacturers in the lighting channel as more enter the integration industry. Integrators have a wealth of knowledge about these fixtures and how to tie them into the overarching home automation system.
Circadian and Exterior Applications Add Further Fixtures Appeal
With the ability to adjust the brightness and color temperature of today’s LED lighting fixtures, designers and integrators can help build the smart and healthy home. Circadian lighting has come to the fore in the industry because of the wellness and biophilic benefits it provides, enabling fixtures’ output to mimic the natural daylight cycle.
This is something studies have found positive due to people’s ancestral history of living more outdoors—when today we spend 90% of our time indoors. Integrators can work their programming magic to incorporate circadian routines into a lighting system to adjust the home’s white light and color temperature automatically.
Finally, and not to be overlooked, don’t forget about outdoor lighting possibilities. Some manufacturers specialize in outdoor lighting and have design services to deliver practical systems that also dazzle.
Whether it’s illuminating walls, pathways, decks, patios, and pools, or beautifying trees, sculptures, and other accoutrements, outdoor lighting presents the opportunity to truly spruce up the home’s landscaping and hardscaping.
How to Figure Out Your Budget and Find an HTA Certified Integrator
Need a hand finding a way to enlist a technology integrator for your home lighting dreams? It’s easy to get started exploring how an integrator can create the best possible lighting experience for you and your home.
Simply go to HTA’s Home Technology Budgeting Tool and answer a variety of questions regarding the potential budget for such a project. Both lighting control systems and lighting fixtures are covered in the budgeting tool. While working on that, you can peruse the directory of HTA Certified integrators and find the right one for your project.
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