Brighten Up the Season With a Custom Solution From Lelch Audio Video Unfortunately winter isn’t all about holiday parties and snow ball fights. It also means inclement weather that wreaks havoc on the most prepared of households. While the freezing temperatures and snow storms understandably hog most of the attention, the diminished sunlight can cause just as many problems for your Wayzata, Minnesota home. Less natural light can affect the safety and security of your home and even your mental state. With this in mind, home lighting control can play a pivotal part during the winter. Here are three reasons why smart lighting can be so important: See More: Explore the Benefits of Automated Home Lighting Keep Your Family Out of the Darkness With the days getting shorter, it’s more important than ever to ensure your lights are on as soon as it gets dark. Many families choose to go with schedules to control landscape lighting. At a certain point every evening the lights are scheduled to turn on. However, it can be a hassle to have to tinker with the times constantly as the sun sets earlier and earlier. With this approach, you always end up a step behind. You can be proactive with photo sensors linked to your lighting fixtures. As soon as the sensors notice the lack of sun, the lights turn on. You get peace of mind knowing your lights will be on when you need them. This way you avoid any dangerous unlit areas on your property. Motion sensors can also be helpful in the winter months. Ice and snow create hazards for those walking outdoors. Have your pathways light up as people walk past so it’s easy to notice an ice patch up ahead to avoid a painful fall. Avoid the Winter Blues With Smart Lighting Our biological clocks are synchronized by circadian rhythms linked to lighting. When winter brings longer nights, it can disrupt that rhythm and mess with your sleep and mood. This results in seasonal affective disorder which affects those not getting enough light during the winter months. Want to make sure you avoid the blues during the holiday season? You can do that with smart home lighting control. The simplest approach is use photo sensors indoors as well. When it gets dark outside, the lights raise inside. This way you’re only left in the dark when you’re ready to go to bed. Scientists have also shown that certain colors can affect us differently. For example, blue light can help you adjust to new dark-light schedules. Use this to your advantage with a scene in your lighting automation system that turns on blue fixtures when it’s time to get up in the morning. Make Sure Your Home is Safe While You’re Away What’s the easiest way to survive the freezing temperatures? Fly south to warmer temperatures, of course! Whether it’s a holiday vacation or snowbirds making their annual exodus, the winter season is one of the most-traveled of the year. When you’re away, you want to spend your time enjoying the warm weather not worrying about leaving your home unattended. With a home lighting control system, you can activate a “Vacation” mode that mimics activity so your home doesn’t look abandoned when you leave. This is when the ‘smart’ in your smart lighting really comes into effect. Your lighting control system learns your routines and will take that information to turn lights on and off throughout the day so it looks like your family never left. Stay ahead of the winter season this year with smart lighting control in your Wayzata home. Contact Lelch Audio Video for a custom solution primed to meet your needs. [sc:insertbutton ]