How the system comes together
lock departure event (sense)
hub schedules and thresholds (control)
lights off and climate setback (actions)
automatic restore on return, with exception alerts (operation).
What makes the delivery work
away mode is triggered by the resident, never guessed; pets and plants go on the exclusion list; freeze-protection minimums are never crossed.
Who it’s for
- Energy & Healthy Homes
- US or Canadian project owners working with an appropriately qualified local installer
The project challenge
- Owners want to reduce unnecessary lighting without disconnecting essential loads.
What the system should achieve
- Build an owner-triggered lighting-only away scene with an explicit exclusion list.
Recommended system architecture
- Manual wall control → compatible lighting circuit or smart-lamp branch → vendor scene
- Choose circuit dimming or always-powered smart lamps; do not cascade incompatible dimmers.
Equipment & ecosystem choices
- Lutron Caséta dimmer/switch + matching hub as one possible branch
- Philips Hue lamps + Hue Bridge as a separate possible branch; selected integration must be tested
Installation & technical requirements
- A qualified electrician checks voltage, box fill, neutral, multiway wiring, lamp load and dimming stability before replacing mains controls.
- Site acceptance focus: Build an owner-triggered lighting-only away scene with an explicit exclusion list.
Compatibility & construction constraints
- Select exact regional model and approved lamp combination. Manufacturer scenes do not prove a cross-brand sensor trigger; test that separately. Emergency lighting remains independent.
- Actual savings depend on use and are not estimated from device count.
Make it your own
- For away-mode energy reduction, confirm room/door/zone counts, agreed controls, notification recipients and installation stage.
- Specific decision: Actual savings depend on use and are not estimated from device count.
Preliminary equipment plan
- One load controller per independently controlled circuit, or smart lamps per fixture; scene controls at agreed entry points; one matching vendor hub per allowed capacity/coverage.
- Scale by the surveyed scope for away-mode energy reduction, not by a fixed package advertised without a site schedule.
What shapes the budget
- Controlled circuits, lamp replacement, multiway wiring, wall repair and desired scene controls.
- Country/city, labor, taxes, shipping, warranty route and confirmed supply source; no price or stock is assumed.
