2019’s CEDIA Expo was abuzz with wellness trends, including biophilia. Originally referring to “the love of living things,” the term has expanded to the smart home industry, as you’ll find out later.

CEDIA showed us an entire “Wellness Pavilion” dedicated to big brands like Rayva, Delos and more, all displaying products that brought the outside in. So, why is this important? Humans spend the vast majority of our time inside, which deprives us of the light, fresh air and relaxing nature sounds we need. Biophilia, to a large extent, gives that back.

As CE Pro editor Julie Jacobson puts it, “Nature can make us whole again, and if you can’t get enough of the real stuff, you can fake it quite effectively. The research is pretty clear on the health benefits of certain nature simulations (applied in certain ways), such as circadian lighting, air movement and purification, climate controls, and nature scenes playing on ordinary TVs with a sound-system assist to play birds and streams.”

How can you achieve a more nature-like atmosphere in your New York City residence? In this blog, we’ll talk about how home lighting control, wellness retreats and cleaner air can make a big impact. Keep reading below to find out more.

Your smart home automation should elevate every aspect of your life. From added convenience and security to energy-saving and luxurious characteristics, your Control4 smart system can enhance your entire property. And with their latest offering, the Smart Home OS 3 update, Control4 delivers peak excellence and user friendliness.

Simplifying and streamlining your whole smart home just got a whole lot easier. You can bring together every smart device and technology in your space and have them work in unison better than you’ve ever seen.

With brand-new features and a streamlined interface, OS 3 makes managing all your connected solutions as easy as tapping one button. Use just one device to operate every technology in your New York City home.

Want to find out more about Control4’s OS 3 and how your trusted Control4 dealer, Integrated Electronic Solutions, can install or upgrade your system? Keep reading on below.

What happens when the power goes out in your Greenwich, CT home? In the city, it’s difficult to run an emergency power source like a generator. If your building is very modern, perhaps it might have a generator backup to power essential services - but it may not power your home.

Until recently, the possibilities for storing energy in your home were minimal or not cost effective. But recent advances in battery technology have now made it possible to save energy for an emergency situation. Moreover, the smart energy management technology built around that battery technology makes it a system useful for more than just emergencies.

With the deregulation of electric power and demand-based pricing models, smarter energy management strategy has come to the fore. What if you could reduce your energy consumption when prices were highest?  What if you are energy conscious and would like to participate in demand response programs, where the utility can lower your energy use at peak times - but you don't want to sacrifice comfort? With an energy management system in your Greenwich, CT residence, you can take advantage of all those opportunities.

Integrated Electronic Solutions is proud to bring the state-of-the-art in energy management to Greenwich, CT with the sonnen ecoLinx system. The sonnen ecoLinx is the first product of its kind that can be linked with smart home automation systems. With both systems working in tandem, you can manage your energy consumption more intelligently than ever before - and always be ready when the power is interrupted. 

Keep reading to learn more about this new smart solution.

When you think of home lighting automation, do you think of it as a luxury?  It is arguably a luxury to have it, but it has other benefits besides simplified and automated control of your indoor and outdoor lighting. The first tangible benefit is energy efficiency. Lighting control helps you light areas when needed and save energy when you don't.  Also, fine adjustment through precise dimming control helps with energy efficiency.

But another benefit to lighting automation exists that isn’t talked about as much. This benefit is enabled by modern LED lighting technology. Newer LED lighting allows for tunable white light, which is the ability to shift light from cooler (bluer) shades to warmer (amber and red) tones, mimicking daylight and sunset lighting. Color temperature was available in the past with specific bulbs, but they were fixed - if you picked a daylight shade, you were stuck with that all the time. LED tunable white light lets you vary the hue and intensity all along the color spectrum.

Even better, some LED lighting has a wide spectrum of color. You can have blue, red, green, or custom color lighting – dim or bright. There are both fun and useful aspects of this capability, but tunable white light has unexpected benefits in health and mood as well.

We are proud to offer Ketra lighting, the leader in tunable lighting. Moreover, Ketra is now part of Lutron, the leading home lighting automation vendor, so now you can automate and control your lighting for the best effects in your New York home.

Ketra’s scientists found that humans enjoy a “warm dimming” effect since it emulates how bluish, cool daylight transitions to an amber sunset. If you ever use “night mode” on your smartphone, you are using this same concept. The warmer tones of this mode help relax you more than brighter bluish light, so you don't overdo your screen time and keep yourself awake later at night.

How can Ketra tunable light make your home a little happier and healthier? Read on to learn more.