03.11.2008 — Lighting controls may not enjoy the prominence of flat-screen TVs, multiroom audio and other sexy components of a home system.

But the lighting industry is extremely influential when it comes to three key movements in the home-technology sector: energy management, aesthetics and wireless.

Roughly 17 companies at EHX will show their contributions in these areas.

In energy management, virtually every lighting-control vendor is touting the green theme, boasting membership in the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and pumping out marketing materials that declare the energy-saving potential of dimming.

Crestron (http://www.crestron.com/gogreen) and Lutron (http://www.lutron.com/cms), among others, have established Web sites for the environmentally inclined.

Lutron’s site includes a virtual dimmer that tells visitors, in real-time, how much energy they save by dimming. Slide the dimmer to the 24-percent mark, and you’ll see that savings can amount to about 20 percent—or roughly $51.67 over five years for a single bulb.

For its part, HAI plans to expand the Energy Management section of its Web site.

“We will have a new residential energy management brochure for our dealers,” says spokesperson Allison Read. HAI is also offering Residential Energy Management webinars for its dealers.

Beyond the educational and promotional efforts, lighting control vendors are creating more devices that enable energy savings.

Crestron plans to introduce “a number of new products, including more types of sensors and unique environmental monitoring and management software,” according to spokesperson Karl Pawlewicz.

With Lutron’s new Grafik Eye QS lighting controller, users can get real-time feedback, straight from the unit’s LCD panel, as to how much energy they save by dimming.

Both Control4 and HAI are working with utilities on load-shedding solutions that let users cut back on energy automatically when rates rise or utilities reach capacity.

Control4’s system lets users set parameters through a TV interface, specifying which lights to adjust in the event of a utility crisis.

HAI’s forthcoming Load Control Modules will similarly facilitate communications between utilities and electronics in the home.

Aesthetics Are Important, Too

The role of lighting control in the green movement is pretty clear these days.

What may not be so obvious is the impact of lighting vendors on the American aesthetic. Integrators often cite aesthetics as a key reason for selecting certain home control products, especially lighting.

Lutron, Crestron, Vantage and others have set a high bar when it comes to wallplate colors and finishes. Other companies are doing their part to bring even more dramatic statements to American walls.

Colorado vNet is well known for its capacitive touchpads that can be customized to blend into any décor, from minimalist contemporary settings to whimsical kids’ rooms.

Several other manufacturers are setting themselves apart with European-inspired designs.

Square D Clipsal, a division of Schneider Electric, is already a staple lighting-control provider in Europe, Australia and other overseas locales.

The company is trying its modern-looking controls on the American market, and the reaction has been positive, says Brad Wills, business director, installation systems and control for Schneider Electric. The feedback he tends to get from designers: “Thank goodness someone’s doing something different.”

He notes that designers are especially drawn to Clipsal’s Saturn line of round-button dimmers ad switches. “They like the retro look,” he says.

“There is nothing like it domestically.”

The new Armada hardwired lighting control system from Leviton features the same bold, boxy designs as the company’s (unintelligent) Acenti line.

“It has the aesthetic that a lot of people were looking for,” says Ian Hendler, director of business development for Leviton. “We did a lot of homework.”