Just clued in to the point of automated lighting

[jrfuda]

Alan over at audiblesolutions pointed out that the real value in automated lighting is the ability to control a large amount of lights in a single room without a whole bank of dimmer/light switches.

My inlaws' home is the epitome of this. They have a bank of, I think, 14-16 switches in one location in their home. They had the home custom built and have lived in it for over 5 years, and they still have to flip through the switches to figure out which does what (and about half of them are three-ways, so the orientation of the switch doesn't tell you diddly).

They have a very high-end home with sero automation (unless you count garage door openers). If ever there's been a home that could benefit from automation, it's theres... and I'm only talking very minimal stuff. The switches, for example.

Another would be blinds... The entire back of their house is 90% glass - with a beautiful view of the lake they live on, and also facing the rising sun. Becuase of this, my mother-in-law is constantly (but systematically) adjusting the blinds.

- She puts them all down at night for privacy.
- She opens them about 1/3 of the way once the sun's up high enough so it's not glaring through the windows
- She opens them the rest of the way after 1200 for the lake view.

For what she paid for those blinds, she could have had them automated for, maybe, 10% more.