Automatic Electricity

From drying one’s hair to opening the garage door, little can be done around the house without electricity. But when each light has a switch, homeowners may look at their half-dozen faceplates and think, “Isn’t there a way to make it easier?”

Mark Clausen, President of Clausen Electric, Inc. in San Jose and Carmel, may have an answer. His company creates computerized automation so homeowners can turn all household lights on and off with the touch of a single switch. He can create settings labeled “romantic mode” and “dining mode” or create the feeling someone is home when families are on vacation.

“In a very large home you may have five or six switches for each room,” he says. “We create a fully automated home with energy-efficient lighting.”

Some energy-efficient lighting includes LED lights, or light-emitting diodes, that use less energy and have a longer lifespan than incandescent light bulbs. The LED lights also pack more light in a much smaller bulb. “The future is definitely LED,” Clausen says. “It gives the feeling of an incandescent light source and can also be part of a home’s nicer ambient lighting.” Clausen Electric also provides homes with standby generators, something gaining in popularity since Y2K. 

With so many people working from home, power becomes more crucial and a power loss in more remote areas like Portola Valley or the Los Gatos hills can literally mean losing a day’s work. “Public utilities are getting more and more unreliable,” he asserts. “With the rolling blackouts in summer, the big storms knocking out power and trees falling on power lines, people really want a back-up system.”

Low-voltage and energy-efficient landscape lighting is another trend that Clausen sees emerging, possibly due to homeowners wanting to draw neighbors’ eyes and attention to their homes on dark streets. Not only is the landscape lighting needed for safety, but also to show off the home’s curb appeal.“It’s only 12-volt lighting, so not only is it energy-efficient, it’s safe,” he says. 

With 12-volt, or 20-watt lighting, rather than the usual 110-volt cables, pets can chew outdoor wiring with little more than a small jolt. The low-voltage also allows homeowners to dig up and change lighting themselves as opposed to hiring contractors to handle the high-voltage conduits. But Clausen says that most customers want to concentrate on interior lighting. Automated lighting usually comes into the house as keypads or touch panels and can be placed at convenient places throughout the house, including the front door—so homeowners can adjust the lights as they come in or leave.

With automation, lighting can be programmed on timers, for the number of people in the room or synchronized with security alarms. He says, “It’s a more efficient system that ties it all together.”

For more information on Clausen Electric, Inc. call (408) 927-7332 or visit www.clausenelectricinc.com.