LIGHTING


Connected home, SMART SYSTEMS


Demonstrate to customers that you understand modern lighting design with smart home technology integration.


By Katie Navarra T irrigationandlighting.org


he adoption of smart-home technologies, or gadgets that control appliances through wireless internet connections, is on the rise. Nearly 37% of U.S. households own a smart-home device, according to Statista, a market and consum-


er data company. From doorbells to thermostats, garage door openers, appliances, lighting and security systems, a homeowner can automate nearly everything in their home through one device. About five years ago, Joel Mayor, who co-owns Texas


Outdoor Lighting with Beth, his wife, realized this tech- nology could offer the same convenience in landscape lighting systems. “I have always been a bit of a tech geek and started see-


ing some homes have smart home systems to control their interior and exterior lighting,” he says. After an electrician friend told him about a smart lighting product he had been impressed with, he started using it in his own home. First, he tested the device to confirm it would work with the company’s preferred LED light products. Ten, he tried the app in combination with their lighting system and exterior-mounted transformers. “After the first night, I knew this was going to be a


home run as the responsiveness, dimmability and easy-to- use app were far better than any other smart-home devices or apps I had tried before,” he says. Today, the company installs smart-home systems on about 90% of its lighting projects. Tis offers clients a sim- ple, reliable and cost-effective way to interact with their lighting systems, according to Mayor. Joel and Beth launched the company out of an old blue


Saturn in 2007. Today, the veteran-owned company has 12 employees who work on projects ranging from $5,000 in- stalls to multimillion-dollar estates across the Lone Star State. Smart technologies eliminate the hassle of seasonal


changes to activation times and give clients the flexibility to control their landscape lighting anywhere and anytime.


“With the smart-home system, clients can schedule on/


off times, dim/brighten the lights and even tie other smart devices around the home into this app like Sonos or some Nest products,” he says. Few customers call requesting a “smart system” specifi-


cally for their landscape lighting, but once Mayor demon- strates how a phone app can control landscape lighting, they get excited and immediately add it to their project. Owners of a historic home in downtown Austin, Texas, were an exception. Teir primary goal was to increase safety and security, but the system also had to tie into an existing smart-home system. Initially built in 1897, the 6,800-square-foot home is


on about two-and-a-half acres. Te job included installing fixtures around the house and porches. As a result, much of the wood, stone and gutters were more than 100 years old. “We had to be really careful with installation. Tey


didn’t want us just cutting and coring into this without putting a lot of thought into how we can create the best lighting effect while making minimal alterations to the site,” he says. “Te LEDs had to be dimmable, and we had to be very careful when designing and wiring the system so that our various lighting zones around the home work correctly together.”


DESIGNING AROUND TECHNOLOGY


While the owner’s objectives focused on safety, security and convenient control features, they hadn’t considered the aes- thetic benefits of a well-designed system. Trough the sales and design process, Mayor helped them realize it was also possible to create a dramatic and beautiful lighting scene at night by showing off this incredible home and its unique features while meeting their requests. Phase one of the project kicked off in 2021 with lighting


to highlight the main facade of the home, front lawn and both driveways. Te family’s kids enjoy playing outdoors. So, Mayor ensured the yards were well-lit and the parents


Late Fall 2022 Irrigation & Lighting 27


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