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It’s a New Year: How About Some New Lighting Solutions?

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Jan 7, 2014 4:30:00 AM

It's a new year how about some new lighting solutionsIt’s a brand new year and chances are that your clients are looking for some brand new lighting solutions. Whether your customers are looking for residential or commercial solutions, it’s a safe bet that they don’t want to settle for the same old styles and solutions.

While LED lights may still be the hot new item in the lighting world, your clients are looking for more than just the newest development in bulb technology. Whether you specify, design or install lighting solutions, your clients are looking for ways to bring out the character of their homes or offices. They’re looking for ways to enhance ambience or to improve efficiency and productivity. Oh yeah, they’re also looking to conserve energy and save money in the process.

There’s a lot more to providing great lighting solutions than just plugging in the newest bulbs. And that’s where you can be a huge asset to your customers. You can offer them systems that will help them create the environment they want—in individual rooms or throughout their whole home or business.

Here are just a few of the features your residential clients may be looking for:

  • Integration and Home Automation
  • Energy Savings
  • Safety and Security
  • Pathway Lighting
  • Remote Lighting Control
  • Multi-room Control

If you have commercial clients, many of them will be asking about:

  • Commercial Smart Grid solutions
  • Centralized Controls
  • Scheduling Capability
  • Reporting and Trending Capability
  • Daylight Control
  • Heating and Cooling Cost Reduction

Of course providing a great lighting solution doesn’t stop at the lights. Shading solutions can also play a significant role in managing light and comfort in both residential and commercial environments. And quality shades add a whole new aesthetic to any home or office.

So how can you offer all these options to your clients? We’ve got you covered! There are great Lutron products to meet all of those needs—and we can help you put together just the right solution for your clients. And if Lutron doesn’t offer what you need we’ll help you find what you need as proud distributors of the best manufacturers in the business, including Cree, FXLuminaire and Juno.

We’d love to help you provide the same kind of outstanding light and energy control for your commercial and residential clients. If you’d like to talk about commercial solutions for your clients, shoot me a note at matt@westernecs.com. And if you’d like more information about residential solutions, contact Jimm Reifsnyder at jimm@westernecs.com.

It’s a brand new year. It’s a great time to give your clients some brand new solutions for their lighting needs!

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Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, Residential Lighting Solutions, Southern California lighting, new ideas, lighting integration

Shining the Spotlight on Dimming

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Sep 10, 2012 8:55:00 AM

dimming lutron led cfl

Lutron Dimmable CLF and LED Bulbs

The future of dimming in the lighting industry is actually pretty bright. As both industrial and residential consumers look for ways to curb their energy consumption—to minimize environmental impact and to cut costs—there is more demand for dimmable options.

dimmable cflAll that dimming, however, isn’t trouble-free—especially if consumers aren’t using adequate systems. Maybe you’ve had customers approach you with some of the following issues.

My Lights Won’t Turn On: Some customers may complain that sometimes after they dim their LED or CFL bulbs to a lower level the bulbs won’t turn on again until the dimmer’s slider is moved to a higher position. This is known as “pop-on,” and is particularly a problem for 3-way situations where lights can be operated from different locations besides the dimmer.

I Don’t Have as Much Range: Typically, LDE and CFL bulbs can’t dim as low as incandescent or halogen bulbs. Although the actual range is dictated by a bulb’s circuitry, dimmable CFLs generally dim down to 10% to 30% of measured light output, and dimmable can be dimmed as low as 5% to 15% 

I Have Trouble Setting the Dimmer: Sometimes LED or CFL bulbs will turn off prematurely—before the slider gets to the bottom position. That can make it very difficult for customers to set the desired dimmer level without bulbs turning off.

Sometimes My Lights Flicker or Turn Off Unexpectedly: CFL and LED bulbs can be affected by line voltage fluctuations (caused by turning on an air conditioner or a hairdryer) causing bulbs to flicker, dim, or turn off altogether.

 

How can you help your customers with these problems?

Click meLutron’s family of C·L dimmers for dimmable CFL and LED bulbs addresses all of these issues—incorporating HED Technology for improved performance of dimmable CFLs and LEDs. In contrast to conventional dimmers, these Lutron products:

  • 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’d like more information—or if you have questions about these Lutron solutions—please give us a call at 1-855-588-7661 or shoot us an email.

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Topics: Dimmer Switches, Dimmable Lighting, Energy Saving Lighting, Residential Lighting Solutions

The Right Lighting Solution Can Extend Your Living Space

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Jun 12, 2012 7:26:00 AM

Summertime seems to lure us outside. As the weather warms up we increasingly find ways to linger a little longer outside. Whether it’s an outdoor party, grilling with friends, or simply enjoying some solitude on the terrace or patio, we enjoy being outside until the dark drives us back in.

The Right Lighting Solution

With the right lighting solution, you can actually extend your living space outside and make it as comfortable and inviting as the inside of your home. And you don’t have to let the darkness drive you back inside until you’re ready.

Click me Lutron Lighting Control

With a Lutron Radio RA 2 solution you can control your landscape, patio, or terrace lighting automatically, or manually—the choice is up to you. And a lighting control system allows you to do so much more than simply turn lights on or off. You can set your lights for grilling on a warm summer evening or adjust them for relaxing next to your fire pit on cooler nights.

You can also set lighting to highlight your landscaping or accent foundation plantings or water features, such as fountains. You can use the time clock to automatically dim your landscape lighting at night, and turn it off at sunrise.

Lighting Automation

An automated lighting system is also a great security feature—whether you’re at home or on summer vacation. And unlike old-fashioned controllers that had to be reset if they lost power, Radio RA 2 solutions retain their settings.  So whether you’re home, or on vacation, your lights will continue to come on when you want them to—keeping your home beautiful and secure.

Wireless Solution

Because the Radio RA 2 solution uses Lutron’s wireless technology, it’s an ideal solution whether you’re looking to build it into a new home construction or install it in an existing home.

 

More information about how a Lutron Radio RA 2 solution can extend the living space in your home—and put more fun in your summertime—is just a click away. Request more information here.  

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Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, lighting solutions, Residential Lighting Solutions

Lighting Systems: They’re Not Just for Seeing When It’s Dark

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Apr 17, 2012 7:19:00 AM

residential home lighting dimmerOnce upon a time if you walked into a dark room, you turned on a light so that you could see where you were going. If you wanted to read a book, maybe you turned on another light. Of course, if someone else wanted to watch TV in that same room, you probably had to go elsewhere so your reading light wouldn’t glare off the TV screen.

These days, lights aren’t just about driving out the darkness. Today’s lighting systems are part of a home’s overall design. They are as much about creating a home’s atmosphere as they are about enabling homeowners to see.

Today’s lighting systems—whether for individual rooms or for the whole home—are all about comfort, convenience, and energy efficiency. If you have customers that are building a new home, or remodeling an existing home, you can help them design a lighting system to meet their specific needs.

As their needs change throughout the day, their lighting should adapt as well; bright to read a book, dim for computer use or television viewing. You can make your customers aware of Lutron solutions that provide convenient access to light control, and create a comfortable atmosphere throughout the day.

What’s really great about Lutron solutions is that there is such a wide variety of color and style options that you’ll be able to suggest a solution that will fit with any décor. Your customers will never have to sacrifice design or style for functionality.

What your customers will really love is that this comfort, convenience, and style can actually save energy throughout their home.  Dimmers, occupancy sensors, whole home light control systems can help save energy—and money. And Lutron window solutions that manage daylight and help control heating and cooling costs.

Illuminate your customers about the impact that lighting systems have on their whole home. They’ll see their homebuilding or remodeling project in a whole new light!

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Topics: Residential Lighting Control, Residential Lighting Solutions, lighting systems

When It Comes to Everything Electrical—Do Your Customers Think You’re a Wizard?

Posted by Matt Sedlock

Apr 13, 2012 7:54:00 AM

electric solutionsSome people say that knowledge is power. That may be true, but at Western Energy Control Solutions we like to think it’s a bit more than that. The more knowledgeable you are about lighting solutions the better you can help your customers. And the more help you provide, the more they will turn to you for all their control solution needs.

Chances are your customers already think you’re kind of a wizard when it comes to helping them find the right lighting solutions. Don’t disappoint them! You need to stay a step ahead of your customers so that you can offer them the very best lighting solutions on the market. Making them successful is what will make you successful!

That’s why it’s so important to keep up to speed with training on the latest industry trends and solutions. And that’s what our Lighting Training Classes are all about. We’re committed to making sure that you have the answers and the skills you need to give them the highest level of support.

We’d love to have you participate in one of our live local training sessions that cover selling, specification, installation and programming. Check out our calendar to see when the next sessions are available.  If you can’t make it to a live session, you can take advantage of on-demand training through Lutron. You can find more details here.

The more knowledge you have, the better you can serve your customers. That will make you look like a wizard—and that’s business magic!

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Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, lighting solutions, Residential Lighting Solutions

Made in the Shade: Cellular Shades for Residential Homes

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Mar 27, 2012 6:29:00 AM

 cellular shade systemsMade in the (Cellular) Shade

Cellular shades for homes have become a big deal. It doesn’t matter if you’re a distributor for home finishing products, a designer or architect, or a contractor; homeowners will be asking about them. And even those homeowners who aren’t thinking about shades, will be glad to hear about what cellular shades can add to their home because cellular shades like Serena from Lutron provide homeowners with the features they’re looking for.

Comfort
Homeowners can reduce midday heat by filtering the amount of daylight that comes into a room—which, of course, helps reduce summer cooling costs. And when winter rolls around, homeowners can easily raise their shades to capture light and natural heat from the sun.

Convenience
Serena cellular shades
are also incredibly easy to use. You can remind customers and clients that they’ll be able to raise or lower their shades—even hard-to-reach foyer windows—with single touch on the remote from anywhere in the room. If they’re watching a movie on the couch, they can cut the glare right from where they sit—and open the shades again whenever they want.

Privacy
With today’s emphasis on lots of glass and open interiors, privacy is more of an issue than ever. Remote-controlled shades allow homeowners to have the privacy they want without heavy, cumbersome window treatments.

 Click me

Practicality
Serena cellular shades are a contractor’s dream to install. They can be mounted in three easy steps. And the Tap n’ Tilt™ technology on the remotes makes it a snap for homeowners to change batteries. Of course, with the Triathlon™ power technology that provides a 3-year battery life, they won’t have to do that often!

All that, and beauty, too!
Serena cellular shades are as beautiful as they are functional and come in a variety of opacities—from sheer and translucent to room darkening. All cellular shade fabrics come with a white backing that acts as a reflector that keeps living space cool and comfortable inside. And while homeowners can pick a color that fits the unique design of each room on the interior, the exterior will have a uniform appearance.

 

Here’s more specific information about Serena Cellular Shades.

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Topics: Save Money with Energy, Smart Home Lighting Control, Residential Lighting Solutions, Cellular Shades for Residential Homes, Shading System, Natural Light

Your Customers Are Looking for You: Are They Finding You?

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Feb 28, 2012 9:48:00 AM

searching for lighting solutionsIt doesn’t really matter what your business is. You may be a builder or contractor. You might be a designer. You could be someone who specifies what systems get installed in new residential builds or commercial builds. Or maybe you’re a property manager that takes care of commercial or residential properties. Whatever you do, you’re always looking for new customers.

Things have changed over the past few years, however. Your potential customers are no longer waiting for you to come to them. They’re out there looking for you! And where are they looking for you? Fewer and fewer are turning to the yellow pages. They’re not watching TV or listening to the radio in hopes that your ad will pop up. So where are they looking?

You guessed it; they’re looking for you online. As a matter of fact, according to a 2010 tracking study done by BIA/Kelsey, 97 percent of consumers go to the Internet first to do their research before they buy. After they’ve done their research online, they buy locally. That’s a trend that’s only going to increase. Your customers are looking for you online. Are they finding you there?

Some people in business—especially businesses like the ones we’re all in—may argue that they don’t really do business online. They do their business face-to-face. That may be true, but if your potential customers can’t find you online, you’ll never get that face-to-face meeting.

Does that mean you have to suddenly become a website marketing and Internet guru in order to get the kind of business exposure you need? Fortunately, there are people and programs set up to help businesses like yours. You can have them work to make sure your customers are finding you online—and you can focus on running your business. One service we highly recommend is Netsertive Online Ad Program. They help businesses like yours get found online—and that leads to offline sales. We invite you to download a free brochure that explains how the Netsertive program works—and why it’s important for your business.

Why are we recommending this? What’s in it for us? The way we look at it, the better you do in your business, the better we do in ours. It’s that simple. If we can help you increase your sales, we benefit, too. So we invite you to check out Netservice to see if they can bring more business to you door.

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Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, Residential Lighting Control, Residential Lighting Solutions

How to be a Super Hero Property Manager - Save Money With Energy

Posted by Jimm Reifsnyder

Feb 21, 2012 9:41:00 AM

how to be a superhero property manager save money with energyIf you’re a property manager, you may not think of yourself as super hero material. It’s probably been a while since your clients—or their tenants—have referred to you that way. In their minds you may be “just the guy they call when things are broken.”

Maybe you’ll never achieve super hero status, but there are some things you can do that will boost the respect your get—and that can lead to more referral business.

Whether you specialize in commercial or residential property management, part of your responsibility is to maintain the property and to replace materials and systems that no longer function properly. You can suggest solutions that will save your clients money and make their tenants happier. For most landlords, there’s nothing better than contented tenants and more cash in their pockets.

Lutron has a lot of energy-saving lighting and electrical system solutions for both commercial and residential use. In many cases, their commercial lighting and shading solutions actually improve worker performance while saving energy and money. And their residential solutions provide increased comfort and safety while reducing energy consumption.

Your customers look to you to solve their property management problems. If you can exceed their expectations and provide them with solutions that make their lives better (and their tenants’ lives as well), they’ll think that’s super.

We can help you deliver the solutions that will make you look like a super hero property manager. Shoot us an email and let us know if you’re looking for ideas on commercial solutions or if you’re interested in residential solutions. We’ll be happy to help.

Maybe you’ll never get to wear that cape and mask, but when you need to ask your clients for referrals, there’s a good chance that they will give you super reviews!

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Topics: Commercial Lighting Solutions, Energy Saving Lighting, Residential Lighting Solutions

Southern California Lighting Blog

This blog provides the latest news and information about Western Lighting & Energy Controls, its product lines, and other information to the lighitng industry.

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