What To Look for in a Tunable Lighting System

You’ve probably heard about tunable lighting, and if you’re reading this, you likely want to know more about it. While tunable lighting was once novel technology, it is now available at many different price levels. But what separates one tunable lighting system from another? 

First, let's make sure we understand what tunable lighting is. Tunable lighting is a lighting system that can dynamically change white color temperature. With previous lighting technology, from incandescent to fluorescent to compact fluorescent, color temperature was fixed. This advance is made possible thanks to LED technology. Many tunable lighting systems can also display colored light. Of course, the lighting's intensity can also be changed. Now that we understand the baseline, let's explore what makes a tunable lighting system stand out for your Buckhead, GA home. 

SEE ALSO: Is Tunable Lighting a Fad or the Real Thing?

The Candlelight Factor

LED bulbs are commonly available as replacements for older bulbs. While LED technology has enormous efficiency and longevity advantages, one area where run-of-the-mill bulbs and fixtures don't excel is dimming. With a well-matched dimmer, traditional incandescent bulbs could dim low to the color of candlelight. This light gives you a warm glow for a relaxing conversation, dinner, or watching TV. A good tunable lighting system will excel at warm dimming, which is the ability to get down to those calming red and amber light hues at low intensity. The better solutions use a different, more expensive variation of LED lighting construction to achieve the warm dim effect. As expressed in Kelvins, the standard for measuring white light color temperature, you want tunable light that gets to 1400K and lower – that's what approximates candlelight. 

High CRI

What is CRI? It’s the acronym for Color Rendering Index, a measure of how accurately white light lets you see color. As you intuitively know, lighting can change your perception of color. Look at the subtle shade of a garment under the cool fluorescent lighting of a retail store, and it may look one way. Take it out in the sunlight, and the subtle gray might appear blue. A high CRI, like 90 or above, means the light will more accurately portray color to your eyes. 

True Color

Some tunable lighting lets you adjust only white light color temperature, and some feature full color capability. However, cheaper solutions give you less powerful saturation and intensity of light when displaying color. They might not dim the same or offer the same brightness in color, which might mean that you won't be satisfied with the control you have using color for ambiance. Look for systems that offer full-spectrum color and equal performance with color as with white light. 

Want to learn more about tunable lighting systems and what they can do in your home? GHT is your local source for the latest lighting solutions in the Metro Atlanta area. Reach out to us here to get started, or click the chat below to connect with us right away. We would love to help you!