by Gina Romanello | Apr 19, 2021 | Innerspace Blog
Whether you are interested in lighting control, motorized window treatments or high-quality LED lighting fixtures, InnerSpace Electronics is your one-stop shop for all things Lutron & Ketra. We are proud to announce our continued Diamond Elite Dealer recognition by Lutron through 2020. The Diamond Elite Dealer status is based on our volume with Lutron, but with that volume comes expertise.
We are thankful to our industry partners within the design build community, and of course our amazing clients, for without whom we would not be able to achieve this status.
by Gina Romanello | Mar 11, 2020 | Innerspace Blog
We have been fortunate to have had another successful year with Lutron Electronics. We are proud to announce our continued Diamond Elite Dealer recognition by Lutron through 2019. The Diamond Elite Dealer status is awarded to integrators that have spent upwards of $750,000 in a given year with Lutron. Lutron offers high quality lighting control systems, motorized window treatments, HVAC & LED fixtures that we are proud to design, sell, install, program and maintain for our clients.
We are thankful to our industry partners within the design build community, and of course our amazing clients, for without whom we would not be able to achieve this status.
by Gina Romanello | Aug 5, 2019 | Innerspace Blog
The position of your home can greatly impact the amount of sun that filters in. The sun rising from the East into your master suite helps you naturally wake-up and start your day, while the sun setting to the West in the afternoon brings an abundance of sunshine into the family room ruining your evening viewing sessions. The strength of the sun not only can bring glare to your activities but also heat up your home causing other mechanical systems to perform harder raising your home’s energy bills.
Motorized window treatments are an ideal solution to introduce into the home to mitigate unfavorable sun conditions, maintain privacy, add a sleek aesthetic and help your home to perform optimally. Longitude and latitude programming capabilities allow system integrators to program your system matched to the suns patterns. Additionally, there are other functional and aesthetic benefits to adding motorized window treatments to a home that we’ve outlined below.
Hard to Reach Spaces – Your home is outfitted with large, high windows that drench your home with natural sunlight that not only helps to illuminate the space but adds increased energy consumption to the room. Due to the height of these windows and the lack of an easy-to-use solution to block the sunlight, you deal with it. With a simple push of a button, a motorized window treatment would allow you to lower the shades adding maximized comfort to the home.
Aesthetics – You’ve spent hours decorating your house to turn it into your home. Motorized shades, drapes and blinds can add so much to the aesthetics of each room. With numerous colors, patterns and textures, the design options are endless. For rooms with dual shades, you can have two different fabrics, such as solar to reduce sun glare, and blackout shades when you want near blackout conditions. The use of two fabrics allows you to instantly transform the space switching from both materials.
Sound Proofing – It’s no surprise that motorized window treatments add a warmth to a room, but did you also know they can help keep the outside noise from disturbing your peace inside your home? A Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) is an average rating of how much sound an acoustic product can absorb. NRC ratings range from 0 to 1 with 0 absorbing no sound and 1 absorbing all sound. The fabric options for the motorized window treatments ratings range from .1-.45 which can dramatically cut down on the outside disturbances.
Protection – The natural light penetrating through the windows boosts everyone’s mood and energy, but it can also be damaging to your floors and furniture. We have all seen the bleaching effects the sun can have on our belongings. Create a timer so that as the afternoon sun streams through the windows, the solar shades automatically lower to protect your décor. Fabrics can range from an openness of 0% to <10% meaning they block 100% to <90% of the sun’s harmful rays. You still get the natural light, but you now have the added protection the solar fabrics give.
Energy Efficient – Not only are motorized window treatments aesthetically pleasing, they can help save on your heating and cooling bills. Open the shades in the winter on the south side of your home to let the sun warm the space. In the summer, use the shades to cover the windows to keep your home cooler and reduce the amount of time your air conditioning is running. Some window treatments are insulated adding an additional way to keep those heating and cooling bills down.
Security – Shading systems can add peace of mind for when you’re not at home or traveling. Pressing the ‘away’ button on your shading keypad will lower the shades so that no one can see in from the street. Putting the shades on a timer will also make it appear like someone is in the home as the shades raise or lower on their own.
Insect Screens – Quickly transform your outdoor living spaces with motorized insect screens. Similar to an indoor window treatment, these screens easily turn your outdoor patio into a covered, insect-free space at. There are multiple fabric options, all of which are weather and wind proof. In fact, these screens can be programmed to retract if the winds exceed certain speeds so no damage occurs to them. The screens can easily be integrated into any control system for seamless control. Increase your home’s entertaining square footage by including insect screens in your next project.
Integrate it All – Many motorized window treatment systems are installed in conjunction with a lighting control system or home automation system. These systems allow you to create ‘scenes’ in your home so that, with a touch of an ‘Entertain’ button, lights dim, shades lower and light music queues up. Through integration of multiple systems into one seamless application, convenience and functionality are easily accessible and offer optimized enjoyment of the homes technology systems.
The Science of it All – If you’re interested in learning about the science behind the sound proofing, glare reduction, thermal management, view preservation or other performance specifications of the fabrics you choose for your home, visit Lutron’s Performance Shading Advisor site to learn about how they test their fabrics to make sure they are only putting out quality products. If you only want to view fabrics that have a specific fire rating, NRC level, or glare diffusing ability, use the tool to narrow down your options to best suit your needs.
https://www.performanceshadingadvisor.com/#theia
To speak with a motorized window treatment specialist or to schedule a free at-home consultation contact us here.
by Gina Romanello | Apr 23, 2019 | Innerspace Blog
The northeast winters can be brutal. Even if you enjoy outdoor winter activities, there is nothing like that first sign of spring to build excitement around spending more time outside in the warmer weather.
Gone are the days of blasting the music from within the house so you can hear it out in the backyard. Today there are numerous options for creating the perfect backyard entertaining space that blends the indoors with the outdoors.
Music
For any great party or gathering music is one of the most important ways you can ensure people are enjoying themselves. From mounted, all-weather speakers attached to the house, to a packaged landscape speaker system designed to look like flood lights and blend in with your landscaping, to speakers that look like rocks – the options are practically limitless. A properly designed speaker system should be heard and not seen in your backyard entertaining space.
Television
You have had your annual friends and family BBQ scheduled for weeks or maybe months in advance. You had no way of predicting your favorite sports team was going to be in the make-it or break-it game of the season at the exact time of your party. In the past, you would have to take off your ‘entertaining hat’ to run inside to check the score periodically. Now, you have the option of incorporating an outdoor television into your backyard space’s design, so you don’t have to miss the Grand Slam nor your cousin’s story about his recent trip abroad. Whether the television will be in a covered outdoor space or in direct sunlight, the televisions are manufactured to withstand the elements and provide a great picture without any sun glare.
Motorized insect screens
It’s a beautiful night; light breeze, warm weather, perfect for dining al fresco. Unfortunately, while you are enjoying your food outside, the pesky bugs are dining on you. That’s no longer a problem with motorized insect screens. At the push of a button, the outdoor lounge becomes an enclosed space, so you still get the enjoyment of dining outside and not have to pour on the bug spray in order to do so.
Pool Control
It’s a hot summer day and the pool water is cooking. Lower the temperature without having to visit the mechanical room. Integrate your pool jandy with your control system and control your pool and hot tub right from any of your smart devices.
Lighting
Your afternoon BBQ is going strong. Everyone is enjoying themselves and then the sun sets. With just one spotlight off the back of the house, your guests feel like it’s last call at the bar and start to say their goodbyes. If the backyard space was properly lit, the party could easily continue into the night. Up lighting on trees & bushes, lighted walkways, and flood lights located within the landscape can help keep the fun going without skipping a beat. Lighting isn’t just for entertaining either. A properly lit home exterior can also help deter criminal behavior and keep your home safe.
Security
You’re laying in bed and you hear a noise outside. Is that an intruder or is it just an animal? Before the panic sets in, grab your iPad and check your surveillance cameras. You see it was just a racoon trying to get into your garbage. You make a mental note to double check the garbage cans are properly secured in the morning and you gently fall back to sleep. Surveillance cameras can provide peace of mind and give you an extra sense of security whether you’re home or traveling.
There are so many ways to take your outdoor spaces from ordinary to extraordinary with the proper planning and expertise. Are you ready to take your outdoor living to the next level? Contact us to learn more about how we can help you design the ultimate backyard oasis.
by Gina Romanello | Feb 27, 2018 | Innerspace Blog
This past November, Innerspace Electronics, Inc. attended the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Connecticut, Inc. HOBI Awards Ceremony where a number of our builder partners were presented with awards for their outstanding work. We were honored to have designed and installed all the low voltage electronic systems in five of the award winning projects at the HOBI awards in 2017.
These projects feature low voltage electronics systems including full-scale home automation, lighting control, motorized window treatments, whole house audio & video control, broadband networks, HVAC control, pool systems control, security & camera systems control and many other system features, all provided and installed by Innerspace Electronics, Inc. for the following HOBI award winners:
- Best Custom Home 8,000-9000 SF
- Best Custom Home 10,000-12,000 SF
- Best Custom Home 12,000-16,000 SF
- Best Pool House
- Best Accessory Building
“Integrated homes by Innerspace Electronics, Inc. provide homeowners with the ability to operate and monitor all systems while at home or remotely through internet enabled smart phones and tablets. We are in the business of providing convenience, assurance and peace of mind to our clients,” said Barry Reiner, CEO at Innerspace Electronics, Inc.
Innerspace Electronics has had the opportunity to work with many excellent builders and architects throughout Connecticut & New York, including Sound Beach Partners, Significant Homes, Hobbs, Charles Hilton Architects, Vanderhorn Architects, Shope Reno Wharton, and many more.
