A Lutron HomeWorks system left unfinished for six years

The property uses a Lutron HomeWorks QS lighting control system with seeTouch keypads throughout.

There are 24 keypads across the house.

And after six years, every single one was still unengraved.

Blank buttons.

On a premium lighting control system.

This is particularly frustrating because keypad engraving is not some extravagant upgrade that needs to be added years later. On the relevant Lutron seeTouch products, custom engraving is included as part of the keypad provision.

It is one of the final details that turns a lighting control system from a collection of buttons into something intuitive.

Yet somehow, six years after the house was completed, it had never been done.

“This smart lighting system is too complicated”

We hear this complaint regularly.

But there is an important distinction:

Smart lighting shouldn't be complicated to use.

The engineering behind it can absolutely be complicated. Selecting the correct dimming technology, ensuring compatibility with LED fittings, programming loads correctly and creating smooth transitions between scenes all require experience.

But the principle for the homeowner is actually very simple.

Get the lighting design right.

Engineer the fittings so they dim properly.

Create useful scenes around how the client actually lives.

Show the client how to make simple adjustments.

And finally, engrave the buttons.

Because you can create Party, Entertain, Evening and Relax scenes all day long, but when Grandma walks into the room she still needs to know how to turn the lights on.

She probably isn't looking for the Party scene.

Hopefully.

Taking over the Mobberley system

The homeowner originally contacted Inspire AV because they wanted us to replace the existing ELAN control system with Control4.

As part of our initial survey, we also reviewed the existing Lutron HomeWorks lighting system.

There was nothing fundamentally wrong with Lutron.

In fact, replacing it would have been completely unnecessary.

The system simply wasn't delivering the experience it should have been.

So rather than selling the client another lighting control system, we concentrated on improving the one they already owned.

Reprogramming the lighting scenes

One of the first things we noticed was that the All On scenes throughout the property were bringing lighting loads up to 100%.

We adjusted these to approximately 85%.

Visually, this was still more than adequate as a bright lighting level, but it removes the unnecessary habit of constantly driving every fitting at maximum output.

We also reprogrammed scenes throughout the house to provide better dimming control and more flexibility between different lighting states.

This is where a good smart lighting system starts to earn its place.

It shouldn't simply turn groups of lights on and off.

It should change the character of the room.

Good lighting control should help accentuate the architecture, artwork, furniture, finishes and views while adapting to the way the homeowner uses the space throughout the day.

If you've spent a significant amount of money installing a Lutron HomeWorks system and every scene still feels like various versions of “lights on”, something has been missed.

And then we engraved the buttons

All 24 Lutron seeTouch keypads had been left without engraving since the original installation.

As part of taking over the project, we decided to use some of our own Lutron marketing allowance to finally get the keypad engraving completed for the client at no cost.

The keypads now have clear, useful functions such as:

Home

Entrance

Gate

Away

It sounds like a minor detail.

It isn't.

One of the most important parts of smart-home design is removing uncertainty.

A guest shouldn't need instructions.

A cleaner shouldn't need the app.

A grandparent shouldn't need to understand what lighting scene was programmed six years ago.

The controls should explain themselves.

An award-winning Cheshire home deserved better

The property itself is Antrobus New Hall Farm on Faulkners Lane in Mobberley, a contemporary home near Knutsford that won Best Residential Build at the Northern Design Awards 2019.

It is exactly the sort of property where good lighting control should complement the architecture rather than simply provide convenient switching.

The client is planning further refurbishment over the coming 12 months, and we have already started discussing ways to add considerably more lighting detail.

That includes better illumination of artwork, additional architectural lighting and improvements to the exterior and garden lighting.

The existing Lutron infrastructure gives us an excellent platform to build from.

It didn't need replacing.

It needed someone to care about finishing it properly.

The problem isn't always Lutron

This is an important point.

When we take over an existing system, our first reaction isn't:

“Rip it out and start again.”

Lutron HomeWorks is an exceptional lighting control platform when it has been designed, engineered, programmed and commissioned properly.

The same applies to Control4, Crestron and most premium home technology.

Often the manufacturer gets blamed for an experience that was actually created by the integrator.

A homeowner says:

“Lutron is too complicated.”

What they sometimes really mean is:

“Nobody ever finished my Lutron system properly or showed me how it should work.”

Those are very different problems.

Smart lighting design should start with the room, not the keypad

Our approach to smart lighting is straightforward.

The lighting design comes first.

There is little point investing in a sophisticated control system if the underlying lighting scheme doesn't create exceptional scenes within the property.

Then we look at how each fitting needs to dim so transitions are smooth and consistent.

From there, we build scenes around the client's routine and the different ways each space is used.

Morning.

Cooking.

Dining.

Entertaining.

Evening.

Away.

We then show the homeowner how to make simple adjustments themselves.

And yes, we engrave the buttons.

The technology should disappear into the background.

That is when a smart home starts to feel genuinely smart.

Lutron HomeWorks support and takeovers in Cheshire

Inspire AV provides Lutron HomeWorks design, programming, support and system takeovers throughout Cheshire, including:

Mobberley, Knutsford, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Prestbury, Hale, Bowdon and Tarporley.

We can review an existing Lutron system whether the original installer is no longer involved, the project was never properly completed, the programming no longer suits the way you live or you simply want to understand what could be improved.

We also regularly take over wider smart-home systems, including projects where Lutron lighting is integrated with Control4 or Crestron.

Still looking at blank Lutron keypads?

If your Lutron seeTouch keypads were never engraved as part of the original installation, speak to us.

Where the system and keypad type allow it, we are currently happy to review the engraving requirements and provide the keypad engraving free of charge as part of an eligible Lutron takeover or support project.

We can also carry out a wider system health check covering programming, dimming performance, lighting scenes and integration with the rest of the property.

A premium lighting system should make your home easier to live in.

Not give you 24 blank buttons to figure out.