Best Commercial Lighting Controls for Convenience
Convenience is king.
It’s an age-old saying, and it’s as true today as it was fifty years ago.
The principle carries itself into construction, too, not just in the tools and tricks you use to make jobs easier, but in the expectations your customers have. They want commercial lighting systems that are easy to understand and even easier to control.
Smartphones. Bluetooth. Wireless routers. Remote controls. Daylight sensors. They’re all part of your regular vocabulary by now and they all point to one principle: Convenience matters.
We’ve done business with thousands of contractors. Amid all those interactions and recommendations, we’ve found that certain commercial lighting systems provide the perfect mix of quality and convenience.
In this post, we identify three different commercial lighting control systems that are well-known among contractors for making customers happy.
MaxLite IntelliMax
MaxLite is one of the most popular brands on EnergyAvenue.com; they’re a trusted manufacturer. The company’s IntelliMax line has gained a reputation for being one of the best convenient lighting systems on the market.
The IntelliMax system is a multi-device network that typically includes a gateway, range extender, sensor and switch. The system revolves around the gateway, which links up your lighting system with LAN and wireless internet connections.
Using this gateway, you can implement up to four lighting schedules per room, run your schedule on up to 30 rooms and link up to 120 IntelliMax devices on the network.
This system is a true workhorse, complete with flexibility, a variety of sensor and switch options, as well as pre-installed software that makes your life and your customers’ life easy.
The set-up process is relatively simple, too. Install the gateway, download the IntelliMax lighting app, link the gateway and then set up schedules. The app scans rooms for IntelliMax lights, switches and sensors. It gives you the option of setting up design illuminance and daylight harvesting, too.
RAB Light cloud
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RAB is right up there with MaxLite when it comes to the most respected names in lighting. Few companies even come close to the quality you get from RAB products.
They’ve absolutely nailed their Lightcloud lighting system, which is very similar to what you get from MaxLite but offers what we would consider a more substantial series of benefits.
Like the MaxLite system, you get the ultimate convenience of wireless control off your lighting system. The system includes a gateway that communicates with Lightcloud sensors, fixtures and switches. You can run the system from your phone, or install a touch panel for the office.
A few of the other features that will make your customers’ lives easier include:
- BACnet integration
- Dimming
- Occupancy and vacancy sensors
- Scheduling
- Daylight sensing
- Demand response
- Indoor and outdoor use
Also, you can set up scheduling for an entire building. If that’s too overwhelming for you or your customers, RAB will do it for you.
RAB estimates that all of these various features can cut a lighting bill by up to 68% and, in some cases, can lead to savings that pay the cost of the system back in six months.
But here’s what we love even more than the savings—RAB’s support. You have the convenience of unlimited access to tech support, system management and rebate assistance. Plus, RAB provides a 10-year full hardware warranty. They’ll cover 100% of any costs incurred because of faulty equipment. And, you can update your system via the cloud whenever you’d like.
Lutron Vive
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When you’re considering a commercial lighting solution that gives your client convenience and reliability, Lutron’s Vive system is an excellent fit. Like the other systems on this list, Vive works off a wireless hub that links your fixtures, switches and sensors to a central control panel you can access through any connected smart device (tablet, smartphone, etc.).
What we like about this system is that it learns your system’s tendency and adjusts lighting control strategies that lower energy bills further over time. This type of learned energy regulation is the ultimate convenience. Your customers save money without lifting a finger.
Also, Lutron places a huge emphasis on scalability. A case study they did for an install at Madison College (Wisc.) provides a glimpse into how easy it is to install Vive across a variety of room types and room uses.
“Budget restrictions frequently drive a customer’s decision to install simple, stand-alone controls rather than an integrated lighting control system, but scalable solutions ensure you don’t have to choose—you can have the best of both worlds,“ Lutron wrote in their case study. “Controls can be installed and setup in stand-alone situations, and they can be linked together via Vive wireless at any stage of the project.”
Finally, on the contractor’s side of things, Lutron says you can install their system up to 70% faster than a traditional wired lighting system. You spend less on labor and your customers save more on energy costs.
We’re Here to Help
Like we mentioned earlier, Energy Avenue has extensive experience helping contractors like you formulate a commercial lighting strategy that emphasizes convenience. Give us a call today at 888-480-5849 to talk with our lighting concierge team. We’ll answer your questions, give you insight into MaxLite, RAB and Lutron commercial lighting, and paint a clear picture of what and when we can ship.
