As the winter is fast approaching and as families across the land prepare for the busy holiday season, it is the perfect time to look at the multiple benefits of Dawn/Dusk Timers.
A great time saver
The primary function of a timer is to pre-set a device to operate at a set time and on certain days. The smart schedule automation operates in the identical way as a standard timer does. A significant benefit of creating Dawn/Dusk Timers is saving valuable time. It affords you the opportunity and convenience to pre-set lighting, heating and power and then monitor it via a central hub at the touch of a button. The timer has the added benefit of enabling you to view each action at various times, entirely in one location, home or away.
A perfect morning and evening routine
It is simple to create your perfect Sunrise and Bedtime lighting environments. By using Lightwave Smart Dimmers, you can pre-set the lights in all the bedrooms to come on steadily in the morning to wake the household up and fade into warm light before bedtime to provide everybody with a peaceful night’s slumber. The Lightwave Smart Dimmers have built-in energy monitoring. This feature affords you the extra convenience of monitoring the amount of electricity you consume daily.
If you are working from a home office, why not automate your heating? By utilising the Lightwave Smart Thermostat, you can programme the heating to come on 30 minutes before dawn to warm the office gradually as you wake. Then set the heating to turn off 30 minutes before dusk to save energy and costs as you finish work in the evening. Go one step further and automate the heating to go on throughout the house just before everyone wakes, so the shower is hot, and the kitchen is a comfortable place to eat a hearty breakfast before starting the working day.
Smart automation when you are away from home
If you plan to visit family this Christmas, you can use the Dawn/Dusk Timers to create set routines while you are away. You could simulate occupancy by switching on the indoor lights to deter unwanted guests. In addition, you could turn the outside lights on every night for added peace of mind and switch off any unused home devices and appliances every evening to reduce energy consumption and the risk of a fire.
A practical example of how to use Dawn/Dusk Timers
In the following example, we will demonstrate how to apply the Dawn/Dusk Timers to the Lightwave Smart Thermostat to control your smart home’s temperature within the Lightwave App.
Choose the ‘Automation’ icon – Select’ Schedule’ and then choose the thermostat as the device. Once the thermostat has been selected, the app will ask what function you would like that device to perform. The ‘1’ indicated next to the device shows us that we have chosen one action from that device. Hit ‘Next’ to continue.
Enter the days of the week – If preferred, you can choose individual days by selecting the letter in the circle corresponding to that day. When the circle is filled in with green, the app shows all events under that day. Select the ‘Add Event’ tile when the desired day is selected.
Select a Set Start Time for each ‘Event’ – this will allow you to set the time at which your event should start. Select either the ‘Time’, ‘Dusk’ or ‘Dawn’ option. Tap on the ‘Time’ tile will give you the option to scroll through and select your time. If you would like ‘Dawn’ or ‘Dusk’, these can be chosen instead, but you can also set a time before or after dusk or dawn to suit your needs. Hit ‘Set’ and then ‘Done’ when finished.
Create the target temperature – Tap on ‘Set Target to’ to change this. Drag the orange bar up and down or use the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ to adjust. Select ‘Save’ in the top right to proceed. Select ‘Set End Time’ to choose a time you would like the heating to turn down. Select either the ‘Time’, ‘Dusk’ or ‘Dawn’ option again. Hit ‘Confirm’ when scrolled through to your desired time, followed by ‘Done’ in the top right.
Copy Target Schedule – If you would like the schedule on this day to be the same as others, selecting ‘Copy Events’ will allow you to copy the event to other days in the week. If additional days vary, then you can add an event to that day if required.
Select all days you would like this event to run by switching the tab to green on a corresponding day. Tap ‘Done’ to finish and return to the event summary screen. Select ‘Next’ when finished adding events. Finally, provide a name for the schedule you have just created.
How to get started
The only question left is to determine which elements of your smart home require Dawn/Dusk timers. It is a helpful exercise to sit down as a family and talk about your household’s daily routine. Then it is simple to plan your automation schedule and create the perfect Dawn/Dusk timers for your lifestyle and needs.