If you’re a distributor for Lutron products, you know you’ve got something good to offer. Lutron makes great products—a ton of great products. A lot of Lutron solutions can almost sell themselves—if your clients know about them. So how can you can you get the word out and make sure your clients know about the great products and solutions you can provide for them? After all, you’re a distributor—not some marketing guru.

The good news is that Lutron has your back. They know that your customers look to you for information and advice about the solutions that can meet their needs. They also know that you can do a better job of reaching your customers than they can. That’s why they’ve created an innovative online solution that allows you to take their professionally created marketing materials and customize them for your customers.

Lutron has already spent the money to create great promotional materials. Now you have access to these great materials so you can get them in front of your customers and drive them back to you for the purchase. You don’t have to figure out how to put together brochures or flyers. With Lutron’s eMaps® marketing customization suite, all it takes is a few clicks on your part and then you’ve got affordable marketing materials that look like a million bucks. And when you add your logo and other personalized information to these high-quality pieces, your customers will know exactly where to go to get exactly what they need. And these marketing materials may be eligible for co-op marketing dollars!

Before you can sell a solution, you’ve got to “show and tell it!” Now, with eMaps, even non-marketing types can take advantage of top-quality, effective marketing collateral—without having to spend a huge amount of time, money, and effort. And that means you can focus on what you do best—giving your customers the solutions they want and need.

Shoot us an email for more information about how you can take advantage of this great tool.

Lighting has always played a critical role in the quality of life built into our homes and offices. It’s one reason people turn to you as an expert in lighting, whether you’re a contractor, a designer, or a distributor of lighting solutions. In recent years, however, there has been a greater emphasis on natural lighting. Whether at work or at home, people want to tap into natural daylight as much as possible—and bring it into their homes and workplaces.

It’s not surprising. Colors look more natural. Textures seem to show up better. And people just seem to feel better when they’re surrounded by natural light. Of course, there are other benefits as well. Homes and buildings that use more natural light also use less energy. That’s easier on the budget—and on the planet.

Using natural light, however, isn’t without challenges. Natural light can be a little tricky to control. The sun, after all, doesn’t come with a dimmer switch. The good news is that Lutron shading systems can provide your customers with precision control of daylight—at the touch of a button.

Lutron shading systems diffuse daylight and prevent glare from washing out a computer or television screen. Not only are these shading systems easy on the eyes—they help protect household items such as furniture, fine art, rugs, and even wood surfaces, from the sun’s damaging UV rays.

You can offer customers shading systems that will provide energy savings that exceed those found with routine shades. They’ll have their choice of settings. “Winter warm” will open the shades, allowing them to take advantage of sunlight warming a southern façade. A “Summer cool” setting does the opposite—lowering shades and blocking solar heat, which reduces cooling costs.

You don’t have to restrict your shading solution recommendations to a single wall station in the home. Shading systems can be controlled from a variety of keypads, IR remote controls, wireless tabletop controls. You can even offer customers an astronomic time clock option for automatic adjustment of their shades.

Of course, you can also suggest a whole-home shading system that allows simultaneous control of all shades in the house. Homeowners can choose a pre-determined “Away” setting when leaving that will close all shades. Reduce Glare & Protect Furnishings

Want to know more about Lutron shading solutions? Shoot us an email.  You’ll have it made in the shade!

Automated light control systems can make a dramatic enhancement to anyone’s lifestyle, improve their comfort, add convenience and save them energy. Here’s a look at five more rooms where the right lighting system can really make a difference. (Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this series for additional ideas)

New Home

Homeowners that are building new homes are particularly interested in lighting systems that can make their new home comfortable and uniquely theirs. You can help them personalize their new space with the latest in style, color, and functionality. Show them how to enhance rooms with innovative lighting controls that meet the needs of each space. And help them make their home unique by controlling lights with sleek keypads and accessories, and automated shades and drapes that coordinate with the décor. You can even show them how to add temperature control to their system to save energy and increase comfort.

We recommended the following Lutron solutions for new homes”

• Sivoia QS
• RadioRA 2
• HomeWorks  

Remodeling/Retrofit

Homeowners that are remodeling can easily add function and ambiance to any room by replacing existing switches with dimmers. You can suggest updates for any room in the home to add style, convenience and energy savings. Adding temperature control to the system will increase their comfort l and energy savings.

For remodels we recommended the following Lutron solutions:

• Recommended Solutions
• Maestro Wireless
• Sivoia QS Wireless
• RadioRA 2         

Single Rooms

When you recommend single-room solutions, you allow your customers to effortlessly adjust lighting and save energy. Switches, wall plates, phone, and cable jacks come in a variety of coordinating colors to match any décor.

For single room solutions we recommended:

• Satin Colors®
• eco-home®
• Maestro Wireless       

Multi-room

Open floor plans and master suites can really take advantage of wireless controls. Homeowners can create a safe and secure pathway from the kitchen to the family room. You may also want to suggest that a homeowner transform the master bed and bath into a relaxing retreat. Show them how multi-room control can make the space more intuitive and personalized to their lifestyle.

For multi-room applications, we recommend:

• Maestro Wireless
• HomeWorks
• RadioRA 2

Whole Home

One of the most impressive—and impactful—suggestions you can make ifyou’re your customers to consider whole home solutions. They’ll be able to control the lights, shades and temperature throughout their entire home. With the simple touch of a button, they can automatically raise and lower shades to add privacy, protect furnishing, and adjust the temperature. They’ll have the ability to adjust the lights in the whole home with a hand-held remote, a wall-mounted keypad, or tabletop control. And they can control the temperature from keypads, mobile devices—and even the time clock. Let them know how they can save energy on HVAC use with the eco button. And everything works together seamlessly—integrating with other whole home systems such as A/V and security for a complete solution.

For whole home solutions we recommended:

• Sivoia QS Wireless
• HomeWorks

Automated light control systems can make a dramatic enhancement to anyone’s lifestyle, improve their comfort, add convenience and save them energy. Here’s a look at five more rooms where the right lighting system can really make a difference. (Click here to see suggestions you might have missed)

Basement

You never know how your clients will use their basements.  It might be a playroom, a storage area, an entertainment space, or some combination. Whatever they choose, proper light control can make a big difference. Because little or no daylight reaches these spaces, dimmers can help homeowners set the right light level of illumination. And occupancy sensors f ensure that lights are automatically turned off when the room is unoccupied.

For basement applications we recommend the following Lutron solutions:

• Maestro Wireless
• Grafik Eye QS
• RadioRA 2

Child’s Room

Kid’s can get involved in saving energy, too! Encourage parents to install a dimmer in a child’s room that will save energy and extend bulb life. By combining the dimmer with an occupancy or vacancy sensor parents can increase the energy savings by automatically turning lights off when the child’s room is empty.

Include the kids with the following Lutron solutions:

• Maestro® dimmer with occupancy sensor Diva® dimmer
• Credenza® lamp dimmer     

It’s not just people that live in stand-alone residences that are interested in new lighting technologies. Help your clients in condos and townhomes discover sophisticated, stylish control for their lifestyle. Whether they’re interested in the latest technology or the ultimate in elegance, there are control solutions to fit their taste. With intuitive function, clean lines, and the latest color and finish offerings, the possibilities are endlessly attractive.

We recommended the following Lutron solutions:

• Maestro Wireless
• Grafik Eye QS
• RadioRA 2  

Senior Living

Don’t forget the more mature crowd. You can offer them simple, convenient controls that will make tasks easier—and help them feel more secure. From easy-to-use lamp dimmers to IR control of lights and ceiling fans, you can suggest controls to enhance their living space. Occupancy/vacancy sensors ensure lights are turned off automatically when the room is unoccupied. And with a wireless tabletop control, seniors can turn lights on or off from the comfort of their bedside.

Here are the Lutron solutions we recommend for solutions for seniors:

• Maestro® fan control
• Maestro Wireless
• Maestro® dimmer with occupancy sensor

Utility Room

It’s easy to forget about spaces that aren’t used everyday. But even little used spaces need quality controls. And how many times does someone leave a utility room on because they forget about it? Occupancy or vacancy sensors ensure that lights will turn off automatically, saving energy.

Take care of utility room needs with these Lutron solutions:

• Maestro dimmer with occupancy sensor
• Radio Powr Savr® - occupancy/vacancy sensor
• Maestro® timer

Whether you’re a distributor, a contractor, or designer that specifies what lighting goes into a new build or remodel—to somebody, you’re “the lighting person” and they look to you for answers about residential and commercial lighting.  Particularly in residential situation people don’t realize how much light matters in the various rooms of their home. Here’s how you can help them “see the light.” And that’s just good business for you!

Automated light control systems can make a dramatic enhancement to someone’s lifestyle, improve their comfort, add convenience and save them energy. Here’s a look at five rooms where the right lighting system can really make a difference.

Home Theater/Family Room

People want to relax and enjoy their home entertainment. With a light and shade control system, a wall dimmer, or a wireless control, you can turn their family room into a home theater experience. They can dim their lights to the perfect level, recreating that moment when the lights go down and the show begins.

To make that happen we recommend the following Lutron solutions:

• GRAFIK Eye® QS
• RadioRA® 2
• Sivoia® QS Wireless                      

Home Office

Homeowners want to make work time more enjoyable and productive. Help them make their home office more efficient with control of lights and shades. Let them easily dim lamps or overhead lights for any task and control natural light to reduce glare on their computer screens by adjusting the height of their window shades at the touch of a button.

To create those effects we recommend the following Lutron solutions:

• Maestro® Dimmer
• RadioRA 2
• Sivoia QS Wireless                      

Patio

Help your clients make a smooth transition from day to evening on their patio with automated system controls or a hand held wireless remote. They’ll be able to effortlessly turn the lights on when the sun goes down.

We recommend the following Lutron solutions for Patio applications:

• Maestro Wireless®
• RadioRA 2
• HomeWorks®

Kitchen

The right lighting system makes the heart of any home more versatile. With the use of dimmers or a total control system, your customers can make their kitchen a flexible space for cooking, dining, entertaining, or even doing homework. You can enable them to set the perfect light level for any activity and control daylight with automated shades. You can even suggest that they add temperature control to maximize comfort.

Create a comfy kitchen with the following Lutron solutions:

• Maestro Wireless
• RadioRA 2
• HomeWorks                      

Family Room

Help homeowners make the most of their family rooms by suggesting they control lights and shades automatically to can make the family room a place the whole family can enjoy. Give them the tools to adjust light levels for different activities: from game night to entertaining guests, and from watching TV together, to reading quietly. They’ll need wall dimmers, keypads and wireless controls to ensure the right light is never far away.

To put the family at ease, we recommend the following Lutron solutions:

• Grafik Eye QS
• RadioRA 2
• Sivoia QS Wireless

If you’ve been around the lighting industry for a while you know that energy-saving Compact Florescent Lamps (CFLs) have been available for many years. You’ve also seen the relatively recent arrival of a broad range of screw-in Light Emitting Diode (LED) dimmable bulbs. And you may have had customers who’ve struggled using these bulbs (especially CFLs) with standard incandescent dimmers. It’s not uncommon to run into problems such as:   

Reduced range: Incandescent or halogen bulbs typically dim lower than CFL or LED bulbs. Dimmable CFLs generally dim down to 10% to 30% of measured light output. Dimmable LEDs on, the other hand, can be dimmed as low as 5% to 15% (The actual range is dictated by the bulb’s circuitry).

Drop out: As CFL or LED bulbs are dimmed they occasionally turn off before the slider reaches the bottom. This “drop out,” can make it very difficult to set the desired dimmer level without bulbs turning off.

 Lights not turning on: After dimming CFL or LED bulbs to a low light level bulbs sometimes will not turn on until the dimmer’s slider is moved up. Called “pop-on,” this is especially challenging for 3-way situations where lights can be operated from different locations besides the dimmer.

Unexpected Turn-off: Line voltage fluctuations can affect dimmable CFL and LED bulbs, causing incandescent bulbs to dim or flicker excessively (or even turn off) when a device such as air-conditioning or a hair dryer is used.

Lutron has developed a family of C·L dimmers for dimmable CFL and LED bulbs that address all these issues. These new dimmers incorporate HED Technology to improve the performance of dimmable CFLs and LEDs. Unlike conventional dimmers, these new dimmers:

• Keep lights on during dimming
• Ensure that lights turn on at all levels
• Reduce or eliminate excessive flicker
• Maintain light performance even during line voltage fluctuations

If you have questions—or would like more information about the new Lutron dimmers, please give us a call at 1-855-588-7661or shoot us an email.

Whether you’re a distributor of lighting control products, a contractor installing those products, or the designer that specifies what kind of lighting system goes into a new building, you’ve probably run across the acronym LEED with increasing frequency. More and more end customers are requiring solutions that meet LEED requirements.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally-recognized green building certification system that was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to provide building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Why does that matter to you?

In order to successfully meet the demands of your customers (whether your customer is the contractor installing the system, or the home/building owner) it’s increasingly important that you’re able to provide solutions that meet those standards.

The good news is that Lutron solutions contribute to LEED certification in the five key areas of sustainable sites, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. If you want to remain competitive—or even a step ahead of the competition—you’ll want to make sure the lighting solutions you offer meet LEED certification.

For more information about LEEDS certification—and how Lutron solutions can help you achieve it, you’ll want to download this free Energy & Power Management article: “Lead to LEED Certification.” It will give you a head start in meeting your need for LEED!