With the holidays in full swing, it’s time to start thinking about gifts and resolutions. While we often think about ways to reward ourselves and others, consider for a moment the changes we can make to improve the appeal and health of the spaces we spend our time in.

The gift of making these changes might take a bit of planning and time, but the outcomes can be substantial. And a resolution to make major alterations and upgrades to your building with lighting controls and shading solutions from Wattstopper and Solarfective and home from Vantage Controls and QMotion can result in major impacts over the course of the coming New Year.

Here are a few building changes to consider:

The Gift of Lighting Automation: With holiday lights going up, it will be a boon to install simple automation options – such as timers and light sensors – so a house, business, or other building is decked with lights when the sun goes down and they shut off come morning. Consider if there are any other indoor or outdoor lights where a simple timer or sensor might make sense. In many cases this can enhance security. Safely lighting walkways and hallways with motion sensors can bring the gift of peace of mind.

A Resolution to Set Up Schedules & Scenes: Timers are great, and simple sensors can help when day turns into night, but if your resolution is to save money and reduce energy consumption building-wide, then seek out a lighting automation system that offers robust lighting control, scheduling, the ability to set scenes and personalized control scenarios. Set a schedule to turn on decorative lights at specific times or dim the reception area or living room so that the Christmas tree or other light displays take center stage in the space and set the mood at gatherings.

The Gift of Daylighting: A quick, yet substantial, upgrade to your home or business is to install new shading options that allow you to take full advantage of natural light when you need it and reduce glare or harsh light when you’d prefer to use indoor lights. Proper shading solutions with controls allow for the automation of scenes for specific rooms, meaning you can be exposed to more daylight during those winter months – a healthy way to increase mood and energy.

The Resolution of Human Centric Lighting: The Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2017 was awarded for research into circadian rhythms and how they affect human behavior, sleep, and metabolism. Technologies exist now that seek to capture those potential benefits through Human Centric Lighting (HCL). Available in both residential and commercial spaces, HCL systems can be programmed to an astronomical clock so that indoor lighting mimics the natural daylight cycle. These systems can also be manually controlled to provide warm lighting for relaxation or cooler light to make people more alert.

There are many other options in lighting and shading technologies that can help a diverse array of building types. Restaurants can consider controls that alter the architectural dimming of a dining room depending on the time of day. Hotels can install systems for colored lighting options for architectural effect in event spaces and common areas. Offices can look specifically at meeting spaces for shading and lighting options. Replicating natural sunlight with tunable lighting using circadian schedules or custom schedules and incorporating daylighting strategies to provide natural light in just the right amount can keep patients in healthcare facilities energized or more relaxed and comfortable.

Be it a simple gift, or a resolution to make major changes in the coming year, the goal should be to improve the spaces we find most important in our lives. By improving the beauty and health of these environments through proper lighting, we also have the potential to make life a little better for the people who occupy these spaces. And that is a very bright idea for the holiday season!