With Lightapalooza 2026 kicking off today, D-Tools is releasing new project data that points to lighting fixtures and motorized window treatments as two of the most significant growth opportunities for custom integrators, particularly in projects built around centralized control systems.
The findings are based on an analysis of tens of thousands of projects created and managed in D-Tools Cloud during 2025. According to the company, the data reveals a strong correlation between the presence of a centralized control platform and the likelihood that a project will include lighting fixtures, as well as accelerating momentum in motorized shades and blinds as a revenue-driving category.
Centralized Control Significantly Increases Lighting Fixture Adoption
One of the most notable findings in the analysis is the impact centralized control systems have on lighting fixture inclusion. D-Tools reports that projects featuring an integrated control solution were 330 times more likely to also include lighting fixtures than projects without centralized control.
In 2025, 24.9% of projects with centralized control included lighting fixtures, compared to just 5.8% of projects without control platforms. That gap of 19.1 percentage points highlights how control systems can act as a gateway to higher-value lighting scopes, according to D-Tools’ data.
The results suggest that when lighting is positioned as part of a unified control ecosystem rather than a standalone component, integrators are more likely to specify fixtures as part of the overall project design.
Motorized Window Treatments Lead Category Growth
Beyond lighting fixtures, the analysis also shows strong growth in the control of natural light. In 2025, motorized shades and blinds recorded the largest year-over-year increase in project market share of any equipment category tracked in D-Tools Cloud.
Motorized window treatments gained 1.27% more share of total project revenue year-over-year, outperforming all other major system categories, including audio, video, security, and power. Regionally, the strongest growth was reported among integrators based in the Western United States.
According to D-Tools, this trend underscores growing demand for integrated solutions that manage both artificial and natural light within a single control framework, particularly in markets where architectural design, daylight management, and energy efficiency are high priorities.
Lighting Emerges as a Strategic Expansion Category
Taken together, the data positions lighting and lighting-adjacent systems as one of the most compelling expansion areas for integrators seeking to increase project scope and diversify revenue. The findings suggest that centralized control not only enables more sophisticated system designs but also increases the likelihood that lighting fixtures and motorized shading are specified as part of the project.
The analysis further indicates that integrators who anchor projects around control platforms may be better positioned to capture incremental revenue from lighting-related categories that historically sat outside traditional AV scopes.
D-Tools to Showcase Data and Platform Enhancements at Lightapalooza 2026
D-Tools will present these findings at Lightapalooza 2026, taking place Feb. 16–19 at the Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Round Rock, Texas. The company will exhibit in booth #518 and demonstrate recent enhancements to its D-Tools Cloud platform.
