Lutron is widely regarded as the best lighting solution in the world. Here we take a closer look at the company and their offerings.
Their Story
The story of Lutron begins in the 1950’s, when Joel Spira – a physicist intriqued by the manipulation of light – set out to invent a device that would enable people to vary the intensity of the lights in their home.
At the time lighting control was expensive and difficult to achieve, requiring large variable transistors (also known as rheostats) that used large amounts of energy and generated a lot of heat. Lighting controls were primarily used in large theatres due to this limitation.
That all changed in 1959 when Spira created his first dimmer prototype that could replace a light switch in a standard residential wallbox. His dimmer generated much less heat than a rheostat and used much less energy. In fact, his dimmer saved energy.
In 1961 Joel and his wife, Ruth, founded Lutron Electronics and suddenly lighting control was available to any environment at a cheaper cost and unintrusive integration.
Spira’s first prototype, the rotary dimmer, is used to this day.
Their Products
Lutron offers both Commercial and Residential solutions and have expanded their product suite to incorporate all facets of lighting control – from aesthetic products like light switches to functional products like shading solutions and sensors.
They provide stand alone control options, Single Room or Whole Home systems, and all their products integrate easily into multiple automation platforms like Crestron.
Stand Alone Controls
Lutron offers hundreds of choices in Dimmers & Switches, Timers, Sensors and wallplates.
Their range of Palladiom keypads (as seen in the image above) are stunning – available in a variety of finishes including Architecture-style and International-style finishes. Buttons and wallplates are made of the same material for a consistent aesthetic and the keypads have adjustable backlighting brightness, so finding the keypad and reading the custom engraving on the keys are easy in the dark.
Their Dimmers and Switches come in a wide array of styles, colors and control options that complement any décor. Timers are used to operate fans at set intervals before turning off, keeping a light on while you enter your vehicle in a garage, etc.
Both Daylight Sensors and Occupancy Sensors are available.
These sensors can be integrated into your Home Automation solution to allow for greater control, given the time of day and room occupancy.
An example being lights turning on automatically in your living room when you enter the room at night, or during the day when the shades are down.
Shading Systems
Speaking of shades – Lutron offers roller shades, cable-guided shades, roman shades, drapery, horizontal sheer blinds, tension shades, and more – all seemlessly integrated into your automation solution.
Their shades can be customized further as recessed, pocket, and fascia mount options, with dual shade solutions as an option.
Lighting
A wide variety of lighting options are available, including natural light solutions, mood lighting, small profile linier lights, downlights and pendants. These can all be controlled through wall-plate and mounted interfaces, that further integrate into your automation control platform.
They partner with companies like Ketra and I-valo to bring dynamic and innovative lighting solutions to the home and workplace.
Conclusion
With Lutron’s client-centric and aesthetic design approach, and wide array of products and solutions that easily integrate into automation and control platforms, they are a perfect partner to give a Smart Home Automation and Control solution a personal touch.
iDetic is fully certified in Lutron’s RA2 and Homeworks to ensure we bring the best design and solution to your home. Contact us today to find out more!
