Smart lighting is an increasingly important part of every home – but just how smart can smart lighting get? Pretty darn smart, it seems…

If you’d mentioned ‘smart lighting’ a couple of decades ago, people may have thought you were referring to a new install at the local school, or a complex lighting setup at the uni.

The role of lighting was, well, to provide light – and a dimmer switch here and there was about as smart as it got.

Fast forward to today, however, and there’s a growing understanding that light is about far, far more than mere illumination – and it seems there’s a lot more to come.

“For a long time, we had the old school lighting, fluorescent bulbs and that sort of thing,” says Mark Centofanti, Offer Manager, Lighting at Schneider Electric Australia.

“And then, about 10 years ago, LEDs really took off in Australia – I think it took longer in some European countries. And, over the last couple of years we’ve seen a really noticeable switch to where people are adding elements to LEDS to make them smarter, so they can change colour and brightness depending on what’s going on.

“As a result, people are increasingly aware of what lighting can add to their homes, and we’ve seen suppliers adding smart lighting features as standard.”

Home automation and app and voice-controlled devices are now standard in many elements of our life – including lighting. But smart lighting is about far, far more than control and convenience.

Using lighting – smartly

Today, lighting in the home is far more considered, with people much more aware of the impact light can have on the way they use their home – and the way it can impact them physically and mentally, too.

Although, in terms of customer education and understanding, there’s still a long way to go.

“Traditionally, people just wanted lights, but there are so many different applications of lighting in a home and it’s important to be aware of this,,” says Aaron Adam, owner of Nu Age Electrical in Regional Victoria.

“You’ve got your functional lighting, your task lighting, you’ve got the ambient lighting – there’s so much to it, and it can affect everything from how you use a space to your mood.

Price was, of course, a challenge when it came to lighting – but with Smart LEDS offering greater value for money, and fewer lights needed compared to a decade ago due to the greater illumination, it’s becoming far more accessible for the vast majority of people.

“Previously you might have needed 60 downlights, but now with Smart LEDS you might only need 15 or 20,” says Mark.

“You can choose to use it as a smart light or as a regular light, and you can consistently achieve the right amount of illumination.”

And it’s about far more than just aesthetics, says Aaron. It impacts health and wellbeing too.

“We have cells in the bottom of our eyes that pick up overhead light and tell our body it’s morning – so using smart lighting in a way that’s sensitive to that is important.

“It makes sense when you think about it – if you wake up in the middle of the night and you put on bright, overhead lights, it makes you feel energetic, so working with clients to understand the different light requirements in different scenarios is huge in terms of how lighting impacts them.” (See related story: How can lighting improve your health?)

Smart accent lighting

Mark says accent lighting is something that’s growing in popularity – for example, under benchtops and around skirting boards to provide an ambient glow and low-level visibility without being overbearing – while lighting is also being used to interact with the environment around it.

“I met someone last week who has sound-activated lighting around their TV – when they’re watching a sports game, the colours will change as the crowd roars, providing a natural reaction to what’s happening on the TV.”

As homes get smarter, sensors become more important – enabling lights to react to the environment and what’s going on around them.

“We’re a controls-based company, and smart lighting’s become very important to us as it relies on switches, dimmers and sensors, says Mark.

“For us, the challenge is to keep up with everything that’s happening in the sector, and keeping everything working together – various products, various protocols.

“It’s a constant development, and it’s essential to help people make the most of the opportunities smart lighting offers.”

From an energy efficiency perspective, it’s something that’s going to become increasingly important too. Choice research has shown that Smart LEDs don’t cost much more to run than regular LEDs, and with sensors able to react to activity and turn lights on and off, having a truly smart set up will surely soon be standard in both residential and commercial settings – particularly given the fact that energy prices continue to escalate.

But it’s the impact on your surroundings that smart lighting’s really enhancing – and has so much potential.

“Via sensors, lights can read what’s happening outside, and provide the right light for the time of day,” says Mark.

Aaron agrees, adding that the benefits of smart lighting extend far beyond our surroundings.

“With smart home automation, it’s likely your lights will all be connected to an app, which will recognise, for example, it’s sunset at 6:30 pm, and it’ll dim the light.

“It will affect everyone on a subconscious level, it will just become part of your life. You’ll naturally begin winding down, so from a wellness point of view, I feel like it’s going to benefit everyone on a level they don’t even understand yet.”

The future of lighting is most definitely smart – just how smart can it get? Well, that’s the $64,000 question.