For convenience and cost savings, installing a few state-of-the art lighting controls in your home is an energy statement whose time has come. The price of this once elite technology has lowered, making it affordable to the average homeowner. Besides the comfort of having a lighting strategy that compliments your lifestyle, energy savings are realized through the overall reduction in use of lights when they aren’t needed.

According to the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing, just fitting one 100-watt outdoor lightbulb with a motion sensor instead of operating it each night for 10 hours will save about $50 per year, not counting the savings from not having to change the bulb as often.

Controls can switch lights on and off, or dim lights based on input from sensors, which include everything from simple timers to occupancy sensors that detect motion or infrared radiation.

One of the easiest and most convenient controls now available is a wireless controller that works with a transmitter and receiver located in the same room. The transmitter is a push-button switch that generates its own electricity when pressed and a receiver that can be either an electrical outlet or a hard-wired device. This technology allows you to easily install a new light switch wherever you want without having to cut into the wall, run cable, and hardwire the switch.