Lutron - Feeling the light

Brian & Nick: Welcome to episode two. We've got Nick from and Becca, the East Coast regional leader for Lutron and happy to be here. Thanks for having us. Yeah, thanks for coming. Thank you for being here. is huge, especially to have ⁓ one of our favorite brands featured here, you know.
Bert Herrero: Welcome.
Brian & Nick: ⁓ a lot of listeners are very Familiar Lutron because either you know ⁓ at the very basic level you've probably done raw three us or with your technology integrator at some point and if not, then yeah, you've missed out so because you've got you used to be looking at homeworks and in certainly Lutron shades everybody is so familiar because you guys the pioneers of letting control and We want to get a discussion going around where Lutron feels lighting is going and lighting control and shades and you guys are leading the way and let's discuss that. Cool. Well, thank you so much for having us guys. We appreciate it and look forward to having a good conversation today. right. Let's get an introduction to lighting and design and maybe, Becca, how you find your way to Lutron and then how you fit the Lutron world and introducing your technology to industry.
Becca Ryan: Yeah, no, thank you. That's a great little tee up. ⁓ So my name is Becca Ryan, as you mentioned, but I run our East residential business. It's an exciting time to be part of the luxury residential world right now and it kind of taken a step back at who Lutron is as an overview because I mean you said a lot of people know who Lutron is. It's still surprising to this day that people don't know Lutron makes automated shades. We did a listening ⁓ research test about three years ago and 60 % of interior designers didn't know Lutron made shades. I think as integrators and reps like Nick and people that work for Lutron, when we think of kind of automated shades, it's immediately Lutron. And it's still surprising that people don't know we make shades. So there's a lot of opportunity there. But Lutron really kind of started our core principles on... Simple idea that lighting should be intuitive and beautiful and human centric and that belief still really drives what we're doing today I don't know if listeners on here know but Lutron actually invented the dimmer our founder. Mr. Jules Spear had that rotary dimmer the first solid-state dimmer back in 1961 and it's amazing how dimming still influences our lives So when we kind of talk about like what Lutron specializes in and how we can really? Adapt and lead in this innovative technology. It's intelligent lighting It's automated shades. It's this whole home control and automation everybody wants automation, but they don't want technology in their home But technology is how they live and function every day. So how can we make homes feel? Great from morning to night and how everything's just intuitive but most importantly like people just want it to work right and they just want when they walk into their home when they push their beautiful palladium keypad their lights turn on their shades go on and their sound turns on to their their songs that they love to listen to. So it's how do we integrate everybody's lifestyle together? And that's really where we're going as a manufacturer when we're talking about it.
Bert Herrero: Awesome.
Brian & Nick: And then it just works like like all this walking into older homework systems that are, know, 20 plus years old and they're still working. You know, I think that's like a big thing that, you know, we take for granted ⁓ is reliability and, you know, robustness of product over time. You know, you ⁓ I think that's what separates Lutron from.
Becca Ryan: It does, right?
Brian & Nick: other manufacturers across the board is we've been very lucky for many years to offer products that are reliable, withstand the test of time. And, you know, that's important for people. I tell people all the time, you just said 20, 25 years. I mean, that's a that's a new asphalt roof on your home. That's that's the lifespan of what that is. And when we're having technology outpacing that, it's pretty it's pretty incredible. I like to remind people, you know, like the iPhone, like we're we're not 20 years on the iPhone yet. And think about how many iterations you've had of this product. So you have an automated shade or lighting control inside a home for... you know, 20, 25 years, that's pretty impressive because just think about how much technology has changed with just that one device, you know. Truth. And it's interesting you say all this because I still think about, you know, when you sell lighting control or trying to explain lighting control to someone that's not had it before, their picture of reliability is a switch on the wall. They know it's going to work every time. It's going to turn into kitchen light and overcome because now you're introducing technology. There's this instant recoil, at least some I shouldn't say all the time, but most of the time is a recoil and you have to kind of explain no, this is you know, it's still just a light switch doing a job, but it's very good point. don't see it the same way. Very good point.
Bert Herrero: I think ⁓ from a shades perspective, I think that one of the best things that I can speak to any client about is the difference between another manufacturer shade and a Lutron shade. mean, they don't hang the same. The quality control that goes into building these shades at Lutron's engineering facility, I mean, just is amazing that they test everything before it goes out. They don't allow, you know, faulty engineering like, know, smiley faces and, you know, fabrics that aren't going to hang right. I mean, it's just... It's impressive how much goes into it, but then at the end of the day, the result is at the client's home. You'll have a lot of people say, yeah, we can do that. And then when they show up and you hang that shade, it looks horrible. And then you put up a Lutron shade and it's like, ⁓ I get it, right? Or they get the opportunity to see it, like maybe at a lighting loft or a different location that they see a Lutron shade, it clicks. It really gets them, right? Quality really means quality. And that's when it makes a difference. And that's on top of the robustness, as Nick was speaking about. These shades just work. We don't have problems with Lutron. I absolutely stopped selling anything else many, many years ago just because of that.
Becca Ryan: We appreciate that. I'd also say too on like the shading side is we and we see this on lighting is we want to complement the design of the home and not take away from the aesthetics, right? Like that's why like the whisper quiet technology. It's moving up and down, but you don't even know that it's it's moving or it can automatically move based on where the location is in the sun. Set it and forget it. And you brought up an interesting point of like people are used to the switch when they at the entry of their home. There's so many technology aspects that we've all lived with that have given technology a bad mindset in the homeowner that they're like, I don't need a system anymore. I don't want any technology. And I'm like, well, okay, talk to me. Well, I've had a bad experience in the past. But then they're talking to you about what they want in their daily interactions and they all want it all off when they leave the house. And you're like, well, that's a system. So like we kind of have to get rid of that systems aren't complicated. It's just intuitive and it's part of the home.
Brian & Nick: you
Becca Ryan: And they think that's that misconception that we need to change in the mindset of the homeowner and the design community too. Because they've probably had a bad experience with it. Whether it's lighting control or shades. Or lighting, for that fact.
Brian & Nick: Hmm. That's a great point. I heard a builder the other day say ⁓ simple is complex. Yes. And that hit home that, you know, if a customer really does want simple, as you guys know, there's a lot on the back end, you know, and what I think a lot of people don't understand is how much work you guys do on the back end from design, planning, programming. understanding of those products ⁓ to make it simple, there is lot of complexities in the back end, whether that's complexities that the manufacturer is also helping with, you guys are helping with, right? It's a combination of everything. yeah, I just like that comment, simple is complex, right? There is no world where that doesn't exist, I don't think so. And I think it's interesting, simple is a 500 square foot room, right? Yeah. And but now you have a 3005, 10,000 square foot house and you're trying to recreate that simple experience, whatever that is. And that's when you have to throw complexity to make it simple again. Totally. And I think that segues into why it's important to a planet early, you know, and get in and talk about this at the design phase, not as a is an add on after. Yeah, absolutely critical. Don't always have that liberty, which is why we're here at the table talking. that, know, builders that may not be a design build company, you know, but are engaging either architects half the time or after the fact, ⁓ you know, sometimes we're brought in the discussion too late. Yeah. And to make these things simple. Inusable, think that being part of the design process early on is very important, especially from a lighting control perspective. just like Becca said, when someone's had maybe a bad experience, there's a lot of things that could create that scenario. And it might not even be lighting control. might be they had a bad experience with an AV system or something else that just gave them a bad taste. But, ⁓ you know. Using a good day having good technology that you implement isn't just the know-how it's also having a Technology that's proven and that also sticks by you is the is the installer is the dealer as well. Mm-hmm Not every company is successful at that correct, you know ⁓ a lot aren't you know? And I feel like we can pick and choose who we want to work with a lot in this industry. We have the liberty of doing that, especially being some of the age of our companies. You know, we work hard to ⁓ to work with technologies that we really believe in. we're not just we're not selling parts. We're selling solutions. Right. Totally. We're not, know, so in Lutron really comes into that, too, because those solutions aren't just the. lighting control and just the shades, those are part of an overall experience. And they really talk to each other. I mean, they work together in unison for, you know, light control and lighting in your room, especially as we're getting into these days of wellness and circadian rhythm and things like that. You really can't have that without shading solutions being part of the part of the overall solution that you're providing. And you need something that talks to each other. And Lutron does that. Perfectly. Even if we're not doing anything else, and we're just doing shades and lights in the home. Honestly, I'm fine with that. I love AV, but if we're leaning into that's what the client wants, and the most important part of their project is their experience with their lighting and their shades, then so be it. It's funny the word ⁓ smart home for years I've kind of grappled with this like smart home. Yes, know, agree. The overarching smart home word. And, you you tell people what you do and they're like, ⁓ like a smart home. And, you know, I think it's funny because to your point, what I found is and you guys correct me if I'm wrong, but what I see most projects, it's lighting, shades and speakers and in a network. Right. And there's not that much smart. About those products other than being able to access those on an app, right? And I think sometimes people Think back to like their favorite movie when they were a kid or something right of like the house talking to them and you know making pancakes for them in the morning and all this kind of stuff which is you know, Maybe not that far away in our future You know, but that's not what people want and people want that simplicity and
Becca Ryan: Thank
Brian & Nick: And being able to play sound through a speaker and be able to turn lights on and off and to be able to raise and lower a shade is actually very simple, right? It's not like we're telling, it's not like we're streaming, you know, ⁓ a movie, you know, across, you know, across the house or whatever. With lights and shades, it's pretty simple commands, you know? And ⁓ but I do find that ⁓ interesting is that this word of like the smart home and ⁓ you to your point, too, you know, it's definitely in the hand of the installer, too. You know, a lot of people have good or bad relationships because of that. And, you know, it's important to have your team early on in this process, right, to identify who. ⁓ is going to help you when you're building a new home, right? Whether you're an architect, a builder, a homeowner, you know, identifying that and having those conversations early is critical because as the home evolves, right, and there's new designs, there's new elements to a home, there's new products, you know, things that have remained the same over years is we use water pretty much every day, right? We interact with our plumbing fixtures every day and we interact with our lights. daily, whether we have a lighting control system or not, right, we're turning lights on and off. And ⁓ so from a simple core, we're like, these are things that I think when people start to learn a little bit more about what a brand like Lutron can do or other brands, right, we come down to this piece that we like to talk about a lot is like, you learn that it's more convenient and more and it's providing more comfort inside of the home. And else as a society, especially in American society, right, we'll do anything to make our lives more convenient. ⁓ But even if you look at it from other elements of trades that are involved in the jobs from a builder to an interior designer to an architect, when you start talking about faster installs, reducing products ⁓ that you need on the back end.
Becca Ryan: you
Brian & Nick: ⁓ efficiency and installations, things like that. Those are speaking volumes to a lot of people and I feel like that's also another really crucial element to why this stuff, you know, and the importance of having an integrator early in a job are absolutely crucial.
Becca Ryan: Well, because I think everybody has the same common goal, right? It's to help the homeowner build the home of their dreams, right? And lighting, mean, lighting starts at the window and there's so much coordination that needs to happen. Like if the homeowner's building their beautiful beachfront property and they bought that to see the views of the ocean, they're gonna have floor to ceiling glass windows, right? So you need to make sure that you're coordinating with the entire design team on the actual... pocket details, right? Where are those shades gonna go? Because that's always an afterthought. So that's why if we can be brought in earlier on the project, we're gonna help enhance the design and not take away from it. And there's so much coordination that I think needs to be done on the upfront of what's important to the homeowner and then how can we make sure that we're actually helping this specification team with all of those details that is ultimately gonna benefit and have.
Brian & Nick: Mm-hmm.
Becca Ryan: a non-complex system, but also enhance the entire reason why they're building that home. It's the beautiful views or what do they care about in their home? Well, the materiality, they're building a gorgeous kitchen with Italian marble that they're flying in. Okay, well, how do we make that look and feel the best way possible in the least complex way? And that's why we have to get the entire design team on board to plan earlier. Because right now, you guys are brought in too late and then you're like, well, we didn't accommodate for shades and we have... 15 foot windows, right? And you're like, well, we can't do battery powered. We're to have to do a drapery track here. So it's a lot of coordination. think that's where we need to get upstream a little bit quicker.
Brian & Nick: you
Becca Ryan: How are you guys going about trying to tackle that?
Brian & Nick: Yeah, I was. Yes. It's an uphill battle. It's forever been the plague of our industry, feel. It's like there's been no real representation out there to say, you know, our industry, we're basically a trade, right, with no trade representation. Right. So, mean, Daisy, think, is trying to do that to become the the national presence. I don't think we are.
Bert Herrero: Yeah ⁓
Brian & Nick: pushing towards that goal. I think also, you know, that's why this podcast is existing is, you know, to try to capture that audience and get in front of people and, ⁓ and let them know that whether it's the designer in the specifier, you know, listening to this, or if it's the, the client that something ticks and says, ⁓ I need to talk to my, my designer and my architect now because I'm, I'm already in the phase of getting the drawings and getting my ⁓ getting my plans together and knowing I want to build my dream home. Now I know that I need to bring this this this person in or these people in to talk to my architect so that we can start talking about how we need to design the space. And imagine that's, know, one of the bigger challenges a large company like Lutron has in trying to get the word out because I still see and, you know, and there's no fault here, but architects and designers will ask about, ask their clients about our industry, but it's done in a more, well, are you interested in tech or not? And if they say no, then they move on, right? So getting the architect designer community to understand to help them understand that this is coming from a place of enhancing ultimately the thing they're trying to produce for the client and That that's it's you know, it's tough. That's it's it's gonna take a while for that to become you know, you're green we see it Yeah, as we live it, you know, I was
Becca Ryan: They always do.
Brian & Nick: Early in my career, I had an opportunity to listen to an architect speak to a group and ⁓ he said, you know, the kiss of death in my industry is if I get to the end of a project and a homeowner says, well, why didn't I know about that? Yes. And it stuck with me because I think ultimately, as you guys know, you get a customer halfway through a project and they come in, they see some of those things. They usually like some of the gadgets that we have to offer, you know, and in our industry, which is great. ⁓ But that just slows down the Projects, you know because now you have to value engineer and kind of understand how it's gonna fit in and everything gets slowed down Whereas when it's early on in the project and I think to that point, you know when you have architects and designers and builders trying to talk about technology It almost seems like we we keep coming back to this idea of like the experiences right people need to experience the product and I find when people can quickly understand kind of you know bad verse good you know, their understanding, okay, this is why. Now they created a value and they understand, kind of look and see what that, you know, could look like in their home over time. So for us, it's really been a big, push into the experiential side of the equation because, ⁓ you know, when people can physically feel and touch and envision this stuff in their home, it allows them to have, you know, see how it could fit into the project, you know.
Becca Ryan: Well, it's an emotional feel right like you're creating spaces in people's homes that they interact with every day, right? Are they cooking their their favorite family meal? Are they having an intimate dinner with their significant other? Did they host a huge event every year that they want to bring their family and friends in like how do we complement their lifestyle and add to that emotional connection that they care about? I always love looking at like luxury magazines, and I'm sure you guys all see the same, but they always Photoshop out the lights in ceiling, the controls on the wall, the windows and the window treatments. But that's such an important element to the design of how it functions in this space. like I think our biggest
Brian & Nick: Mm.
Becca Ryan: Task and that education piece that Nick was mentioning is we need to teach people that we complement their designs and not take away from it Like how do we make a beautiful keypad look seamless into? The wall or that fixture into the millwork of the ceiling, right? Like you're not gonna walk into a beautifully designed home and look straight at the ceiling You're like, ⁓ that's a lot of lights in that no We want to look at the materiality and the finishes of what the homeowner actually cares about but lighting and the control aspect of that is every opportunity for us to enhance their designs and not
Brian & Nick: I love you.
Becca Ryan: take away from it. And I think that's the stigma that we need to change in having people experience those beautifully designed homes.
Bert Herrero: I think a lot of that comes through the way of education with, you know, our design partners and builders and whatnot. And through that education process, I think it's replacing words like technology and complexity and, you know, systems and lighting control, you know, and really delivering on experiences and, know, how they want to live and how they want to interact with the home, like Becca's saying, right. And I think that as we start building that up more within the design community and the builder community, I think that information is really going to get down to the client. But I think it's also having the work with all to bring in the scenarios to the builders and say, hey, how many times has this happened to you on projects? And then directly correlate that to proper planning. If you had planned this properly, would this turn out differently? Or would you have had better success? And I think that Once they start realizing that, once they start putting two together and they start recognizing that they have a real partner that they can depend on and move forward with, I think it makes it a whole lot easier for them to get out of the technology conversation and really allow that to be passed on to us so that we can really deliver that type of experience for the client and explain to them what the experience even looks like, right? Hey, instead of talking about lighting control systems, hey, how about you walk into your home and you press one button? and all of these different things happen for you without you having to think about it. And I think that that's the type of experience that we want to build up for our clients and build up for our partners ⁓ early on in the process.
Brian & Nick: percent well said
Becca Ryan: You bring up an interesting point though is that like we are marketing kind of ploys this art of effortless because if the homeowner walks into their space and they have to think how to turn on their lights or open their shades we've lost them so like that's complicated so how do we get rid of that and make it seamless that they just they know from the push of a button everything's just gonna happen
Bert Herrero: That's complicated.
Brian & Nick: Well, you know one trend I've seen and frankly Lutron with the palladium blazed the path for this that less is more, right? A four button keypad actually is remarkably simple and early in the industry as we know, know, there was the you there were double gangs with you know, four rows of buttons and that was overwhelming and ⁓ and having a more simple approach to me it's philosophically we were talking about the small, you know, 500 square foot room where you have one switch. It's kind of the same thing. You've got a single switch. It's very elegant for buttons. You walk in you push a button and you have light in the room. That's just the way we're used to it. Yeah, it's funny, like I tell people all the time, you know, we're, you know, we're all creatures of habit. You know, we're all going to go home tonight and turn on the same group of lights that we did the before that, the day before that, the day before that. You know, so the Lutron approach to that, exactly to your point, is like, hey, why don't you just have one button that gets you to that exact level? Because the reality is, you know, we always think we need more. But ⁓ when you actually start living in the home, you realize that, you know, I mean, I'm guilty. had six button keypads in my house and I used two buttons all the time. I'm a living example. Raise your hand. Raise your hand. Yeah, mean, clients, they'll want a button for every fixture, but you have to explain you don't really need that. Right. You know, and ⁓ that's a tough, tough leap to make for some people. 100 percent.
Bert Herrero: Options, it's all about options.
Becca Ryan: you
Brian & Nick: But that becomes part of the simplicity ⁓ over time. And I think, how many times have you ⁓ seen a recent drawing set from a builder, an architect, and they have five or six gangs on a wall that's between two 12-foot pieces of glass? And you're not getting a six-gang box. in that wall, right? And so we don't have an option. We have to do, you know, we have to do a keypad in that situation. So I think as building has evolved, too, we've started to see that that piece start to trigger to other people that. Okay, yeah, that that is a simpler and more efficient way to to address it inside of the home. You're seeing it even with renovations, because if somebody is going to renovate their space, they're sick of them all acting. Right? You if they're going to do a retrofit system, and it's going to be something like a wireless system, like a raw, like, well, back raw to but raw three system would be banking switches and getting them out of the way and just having the keypads on the walls, because they were so sick of the way things aesthetically looked, you know, with their home before. And now they have the option of of simplifying it. And I think that we can lean into things like ketra as well as we look at directly addressable fixtures, you know, it's getting away from, you know, even even discussions with, with electricians and everything, they're like, trying to wrap their mind around how these systems are wired. And like, well, it's traditional, but we control it differently. You know, you don't have to look at it as, know, anything too foreign to you from a you know, from an infrastructure perspective, but it's going to greatly simplify like, you know, you ran these two lights on one zone and now the person wants the client wants them on this zone. We can rezone them on the fly. Easily it's not rewiring it, you know, and once you get those discussions going with with electricians and stuff, they're like, this makes my life a lot easier. And I think that that's part of the discussion too is sometimes technology is looked at as a burden. Yep.
Becca Ryan: there.
Brian & Nick: rather than an enhancement. And I think that getting that across to the community as well and the specifiers understanding that we're here as a partner, we're bringing in technologies that are proven that work, and we're taking on that process for you so that you don't necessarily need to understand the technology, just helping us sell the experience and understand the experience that you're delivering is enhancing what you're doing. Let us worry about the back end. Let us worry about the programming,
Becca Ryan: What's amazing though is like we've had to change the mind shift. Remember when we had to now teach and educate electricians that like you don't need to wire to the switch anymore. There's gonna be a keypad there for all of the zones. Wire it back to the panel. Everything's gonna be centralized. We're now shifting the mindset back to... everything's just digitally controlled, just wire it hot to the switch, right? And like, you're still gonna have a keypad there to, back to the breaker, but you're gonna have a keypad there still for control. So it's like, we're now reversing what we originally had to teach all of our electricians. And it is that.
Brian & Nick: Yeah.
Becca Ryan: Simplified way of there's so many layers of light in this space now and then now you add in kind of the the shading aspect of course with Lutron when you have lighting and shading is like one system we need to make sure that we're kind of balancing this space whether it's Energizing and bright throughout the day your shades are up or warm and calm at night and kind of creating those moods But we need to kind of take those into consideration of changing the mindset back to what we were talking about of like the switch and having just one location to control your lights and your shades.
Brian & Nick: Yeah.
Becca Ryan: but giving people the flexibility back, right? Like you have a living room and your furniture layout changes. Well, that's just a tweak in the programming. You don't need to rewire your house, whereas traditionally you'd have to. So it's kind of like we're giving people more options, but too many options makes it complex again. So we need to kind of really narrow it down of like, this is your kitchen and this is what you're gonna do in your daily interaction. I Nikki, we're joking that you have six buttons on your keypad, but you only use two. Probably because you know what you do in that space every day, right? of, well, I have a kitchen, I'm probably gonna cook and I'm gonna dine with my family. Okay, well let's make it kind of easy in that sense.
Brian & Nick: So, I mean, to that end, ⁓ I've just been curious about, ⁓ you Lutron, you've had lighting control, still do, you have shading control, you've been blending them, but now there's this new term, ⁓ intelligent lighting systems, ILS.
Bert Herrero: you
Brian & Nick: Walk me through that. How does that progress or how is that different from just a lighting silo and a shading silo? Yeah, great question. So over the last few years, I think when you look at the shift from incandescent to LED, right, we...
Bert Herrero: you
Brian & Nick: lighting changed and lighting control changed with it. The ability to, most of us probably ⁓ have lived in a home at some point where, or been in a home, where you've had flickering or popping or buzzing, the ability to control that light as an LED just the way, because it's a chip-based light source now, it's a little bit, ⁓ it brings in a little bit more complexities in terms of control. ⁓ as that evolved, think Lutron really looked at this, ⁓
Bert Herrero: you
Brian & Nick: at the market and said, okay, where are things really gonna go? And we knew we did control really well. ⁓ we said, well, what if we could just create a light fixture that was native to the actual control that we already do really well? And we would eliminate all those issues. So we could guarantee a solution to a customer that... that would have smooth flicker-free dimming, that always worked, you turn your lights on and off. ⁓ So this idea of the intelligent lighting system was born because the... the science behind controlling an LED, the driver in the ceiling has to match the control on the wall in order for us to guarantee the dimming, right? There's plenty of companies that do it very well, but in order for us to actually guarantee it, that's the way we, that's just facts, right? So ⁓ when you look at that ⁓ evolution, it was like, okay, if we created a line of light fixtures ⁓ that could talk effortlessly back to the control, and we could create that guarantee and create that even handshake, then we would have a guaranteed solution to our customers. So the intelligent lighting system really speaks to that. We look at lighting as a system, right, where the fixtures have to work with the control and the control works with just the fixtures, right? If you just put the, you can turn the fixtures on, right, without a system, but you can't control them. ⁓ and what that did is it really, ⁓ as Becca kind of pointed out, right, it allows us to kind of have this idea of more flexibility to the customer if rooms change, right, we can change things in programming. It gives you guys a lot more flexibility from the integration side and ease of use and programming. But yeah, that that concept of intelligent lighting was really born of like, can we look at lighting as a system, right and provide ultimately a guaranteed solution to the customers ⁓ and ultimately more customization as well. I don't know you want to add anything to that, Bex.
Becca Ryan: No, you're good. Well, I mean you you summed it up perfectly and I think where Lutron was trying to go is like we invented the dimmer That's kind like how I kicked this off, right? And we knew this that smooth flicker free dimming and that's what people were used to when it came to Incandescence but now you incorporate LEDs and there were always all these problems I use the analogy like cooks in the kitchen, right? Who do you blame if that fixture doesn't dim properly? Do you blame the fixture? Do you blame the driver or do you blame the control because that's three manufacturers? They always blame you guys, the innovators. like, ⁓ it's your problem, you fix it now. But you aren't the one that specified the fixture or the driver. You're just the one that tried to make it work. And Lutron takes the approach of... We want kind of one finger to point if for some reason it's not dimming or color tuning properly and it's one manufacturer that we've kind of staked our ability to have reliable products that just work and now you kind of incorporate the aspect of ketra of it just working from the push of your keep your Lutron keypad But more importantly is like we want to deliver beautiful light right and have that natural light feel that dynamically adjusts based on the color temperature of the Sun and what is going on Throughout your day and how it mimics natural light and how it behaves to like circadian rhythms is a big hot topic when it comes to wellness but ketra also helps render colors incredibly accurate right of being able to make sure that we're Having the materials the finishes the artwork look the way that it was an intended to and we're kind of shifting this mindset from You know Bert you were talking about like technology. We got to kind of change the verbiage of that, but how do we incorporate? lighting into enhancing their everyday life Like it's that emotional feel and it's one system whether it's lighting and shades from one manufacturer that balances that artificial light and Really the intelligent light but that's where the industry is going towards is one manufacturer for everything right? It's that intelligent light source and that Lutron still the only one that can do that And it's important for specifiers and homeowners to know that as we've kind of built our reputation on How do we enhance their lifestyle and not take away from it? but also make sure that it works. Later.
Brian & Nick: I think we also looked at over time to like the, you know, the house of you guys have been in homes for years, right? Panels on panels on panels as you get into these larger homes and no one's really going down into their basement and being like, hey, look at my awesome lighting control panel. I mean, we may, right? But the normal person is not doing that. And with the shift, with LEDs becoming just, you know, more capable ⁓ of doing more.
Bert Herrero: Thank
Brian & Nick: ⁓ We've looked at this shift of, okay, instead of putting all that technology in a basement or a mechanical realm, how can we put that over the customer's head? How can they interact with it and show it off and create, as Bekah's kind of pointing out, these experiences that allow them to live better every day? And that's really the major shift here is that, you And by doing that, we're saving space in the mechanical room, right? It's an easier install, it's a faster install. So it's been a really big, it's a big shift and an evolution of the company, but. One that I feel very confident that intelligent lighting is going to expand across multiple products and brands, and we're already seeing it, right? Because just makes sense. It's easier, it's more efficient, ⁓ it's more flexibility for the end user, ultimately. But that was really the big shift was how can you put that technology above someone's head rather than living in a basement where they're not going to interact with it.
Becca Ryan: I think you can repurpose that room now, right? Like instead of having that mechanical closet with all the dimmers, you can now bring it, bring that homeowner and their friends downstairs and say come into my cigar room, right? My wine cellar, like something that is impactful of what do they want that space to do instead of, hey, Mr. or Mrs. Architect, I now need an additional space for four more dimming panels. Like no one wants to have that conversation with the design team because then you look like, well, why didn't we plan ahead of this? And people will go from just a static white fixture to, ⁓ I saw tunable white, can I now add that to my project? You're like, you can, but I need four more additional panels in order for that to work. So like how do we give people their coat closet back or their mechanical room and turn it into something that they actually care about and that they will want to show off instead of, look at my mechanical room with my dimming panels. And I think that's kind of where the industry is going towards of having give the homeowner what they want back and we have a lot of projects around the country and a running joke in Aspen is that Ketra is free in Aspen and the reason why is because it's prized real estate assessment value, right? You can now instead of talk about their dimming panel closet, they now turn that into a sauna and they can say help and wellness in their home, right? So it's kind of shifting the mindset on that. know it's funny. It's true though.
Bert Herrero: No doubt.
Brian & Nick: See you then.
Becca Ryan: It's an interesting time and I think a lot of it boils down to education, right? People have to experience this in order to believe it I mean people will go into strateresis experience centers or Lutrons around the country and my favorite moment is like when you go from what we Perceive is kind of that warm light that 3000 Kelvin and then you go to what the natural light should be at that time of day and you can see people's shoulders physically it does feel better in here. I think that's like people just have to have that aha moment and feel the difference in what natural light does to the space.
Bert Herrero: Yep. Agreed.
Brian & Nick: Yep, you have to feel it. And the only way you can is by being there in it. Well, mean, yeah, what's interesting, I find sometimes the buzzwords like tunable white, that's not an emotional ⁓ way to explain this, but it's what we resort to. And I don't know if that language really works with a customer, but I'm not sure what the replacement is. There's not a simple way to say it. Yeah, it's funny because that is one thing that I find people need to experience. I also tell people quite frequently that I don't... I feel very strongly that we're close to a... And you guys have probably heard me say this, Spiel. But I feel we're very close to a generation who doesn't know what tunable white light is not. Just like there's a generation that doesn't know what an iPhone is. You know, they've... For every... every day they've been on earth, know, an iPhone has existed. And, you know, I think tunable white light is something that is as technology advances in any category or any sector, right, it becomes more affordable. There's already price, you know, different price point things that you can find. ⁓ But if you look at tunable white light, it's natural, right. And you look back at. And it's more similar to what we were used to with an incandescent, right? It was warms, was cools, and the ability to be able to kind of toggle between the two. So when we look at, know, when Ketra was founded as a startup, and Becca and I were lucky enough to kind of hear the founders kind of talk about this, ⁓ but really Ketra's idea and the goal was to just make a light that just felt more natural. Right? Because whether we like it or not, the sun, you know, wakes us up, it energizes us and it makes us tired, you know, and we're all conditioned to that, whether we like it or not. And if we can harmonize that with the light inside, it's it's really amazing. But it is, to your point, it's very hard to just tell somebody that they really have to experience it. And and, you know, I think that.
Becca Ryan: you
Brian & Nick: is a big shift for us, our industry as a whole over the next few years is like, how do we make? If we can't have a big experience, how do we make micro experiences? How do we change a conference room at a builder's office or an architect's office to show that off really quick? Because sometimes you can do it in a minute, 30 seconds a minute. It's like, boom, here's bad lighting, here's good lighting, here's the differences. Because to your point, feel getting feedback from architects and builders sometimes, they feel like they're the salesperson. And they bring up tunable white light and people just say, the gut reaction is, do I really need that? Right. But when they can see it and they can experience it, now it's not anybody selling them. They're just understanding the value in their own head. And it just makes more sense. Right? So I think the tunable white light thing is pretty ⁓ an interesting topic because I do think we're very close to ⁓ more people who will not know what life was without it. Right.
Becca Ryan: The challenge with tunable white though is you have to either choose tunable white or warm dim. There's no manufacturer besides Lutron who has Ronnie and Ketra that can do both. You're still kind of giving them, almost like when LEDs came out and you're like, you want warm light or do you like daylight? Warm light looks great at night, but it looks terrible during the day. It's kind of yellow. Daylight looks great during the day, but then it's way too blue and harsh at night.
Bert Herrero: I
Becca Ryan: Can we give them everything? And like, what is that natural light? Is it candlelight? Is it a campfire? Is it the sun that's coming in through your windows? Like you almost have to ask them like what what feels natural to them and it's they're gonna say the Sun or candlelight and that's kind of those what we're trying to create are those environments and Just bring the natural light inside but it is kind of a how do we teach them? To that it is that emotional connection and it's getting them to experience it and having it's like when you like talk about sound right when you hear a song it'll bring you back to an event or or what you heard, where you heard that song and that experience that you had, it's the same thing with lighting, right? You all talk about like a sunset and going down and you're with your significant other and that's natural light. So it's kind of how do we create those immersive experiences for homeowners in their home, in the space that they're gonna live and interact with it every day. And I think that's what we're trying to create is it's not so much the technical aspect, it's the emotional connection. light, whether it's artificial or natural.
Brian & Nick: And I think the designers know how to talk about it. They understand it for the most part. But they need to be able to relay this to the client as well. And in leveraging that relationship with companies like your technology integration company in saying, can we show this experience so that they can feel this in person? It's paramount because it's a paradigm shift. in our in lighting as a whole. And we've gone through this really like, you know, just my short time on this earth, this really big shift from incandescent lighting to terrible halogen LED. And there was this terrible implementation of LED for the first, know, for the first part of its lifespan. And we've quickly gotten away from that. and innovations like this. I think Rania is a huge, I love Catcher as a whole, but Rania is a massive technology in being able to have tunable white and warm dim. Yeah, value. absolutely. So explain that. You've got a few different styles with Ketra and Rania. could you help me understand sort of the differences between them? Great question. ⁓ So we start, so the intelligent lighting family in general is three categories, kind of Ketra, Rania, and Lumaris. And you know, Ketra, if we start at the top, know, Ketra is our, you know, ⁓ full spectrum dynamic LED, you know, we're going from candlelight to moonlight. ⁓ we are rendering a precision following of what's happening with the sun on a daily basis. And ⁓ in order to achieve that with inside of an LED, right, we have to have color. So, ⁓ Ketra also has the ability to render 16.7 million different colors, which can seem a little aggressive at some points. But you think about ⁓ with color, what's really important, I think sometimes can be misunderstood with Ketra, is that in order to have that perfect rendering of white light, we need color, because all color meets together to form white light. so Ketra is really this amazing, super powerful tool that allows us to ⁓ render light natural to what we're used to with the sun. ⁓ We have the ability to play around with color, so think about... ⁓ you know, alma mater's and favorite sports teams and kids birthday parties. And what I like to tell people is like, think about like using your lights as a paintbrush, you know, if a room is, you know, painted white, you know, you have now the ability with a press of a button to completely transform a space. And then another press of a button goes right back to your your normal setting, which is which is pretty, which is pretty amazing. ⁓ So Ketra sits at the top is this, you know, kind of do it all as Becca's kind of pointing out, there's really no other light fixture on the on the market. that can do things like vibrancy and color and that wide spectrum of ⁓ 1400 Kelvin to 10,000 Kelvin, which is the technical backend of it. So then we got a lot of feedback from our time selling Ketra and Rania fit a need inside of the market where folks were, love Ketra, I don't need, ⁓ but maybe I don't need color, right? Or maybe that's not a huge driver for me.
Bert Herrero: you
Brian & Nick: ⁓ And I really just love this idea of focusing on natural white light and in harmonizing what is happening outside inside and Rania gives us this ⁓ at a more affordable price point ⁓ for folks to really just harmonize that that natural light so You know without getting technical slight a slight change in ⁓ in in in performance of following the course of the Sun, but some really cool things that they did to basically mimic what Ketra is doing, but between 1800 Kelvin and 5,500 Kelvin. So little bit smaller of a tunable white light range. ⁓ And then Lumaris comes in at our lowest price point ⁓ with an opportunity for us to fit an affordable price point focusing on 1800 Kelvin to 4,000 Kelvin, a slight change in aesthetic there. So Ketra and Rania have very similar aesthetics in terms of a two inch and three inch option. ⁓ I'm three inch only in Ketra, but with Lumaris, we're right now in a four inch option. We have some tape light options, ⁓ but inside of the whole intelligent lighting ⁓ family, what you get is guaranteed performance with Lutron. You get that 0.1 % dimming. So all of our fixtures are guaranteed down to 0.1%. And then you're getting that digital addressability. every fixture, ⁓ we can speak to every individual fixture if we need to. So ⁓ what we're seeing now is actually a combination of a lot of those. on every project. know, we tell folks, you know, tell us where you want to spend the money. And or what's what's more important to you, right? know, prioritize the areas. But you know, just like we spend, you know, a lot of time designing the kitchen and the living room, because we're going to spend a lot of time there. It's the same thing with your lighting. You know, so maybe Ketra and Rania on that, you know, on that first floor and that open concept. And it could be, you know, Loomaris, Rania upstairs, right, to be able to help, you know, with the customer's budget, ultimately. So the idea was to create kind of a family that had kind of those core pieces with the 0.1 percent, but some performance differences to kind of help ⁓ achieve different price points.
Becca Ryan: also add in there like with the different product families that Nick was outlining is we have different ⁓ product options right like there's so many different layers of light in the home nowadays whether it's recessed architectural lighting, cove applications, under cabinet is very popular right now right so we have so many different product options to add in the layers of light to complement the home and I think layering light is a very important I'd say new trend, but it's kind of always been there, but now you just have more product options. But we're seeing a lot of growth in that human centric lighting and being able to have. More layers that complement this space because if you've ever experienced and walked into a well-designed showroom They've got recessed lighting in the ceiling. They've got architectural Down lights they're gonna have wall sconces that add in that decorative element You walk into the foyer you might have that beautiful decorative chandelier and that's the beautiful draw into this space and we have a lot of different product options to help add in those layers of light, but People always say like, well, Lutron, you don't have decorative lighting. Well, we have kind of an A20 lamp or different lamp types that can screw into decorative lighting. But a lot of times those are hand flown in from Italy, right? Okay, we can control it still. We'll make sure that dims and turns on because we manufacture the control side of it and it still seamlessly integrates. So there's gonna be aspects of lighting that Lutron might not have, but we can still control it, right? That's really our core principles of what we've done. Lighting is just such an impactful piece of what do you want the space to function and do and that's where Ketra really is that premium light source of giving people anything that they want and have that natural light. But Ronia can help round out giving people tunable white and warm dim built into one. And then if you're more budget conscious but still want tunable white capabilities, Lumaris comes in. There's a lot of great performances within our brands of products that meet the price point that people are looking for.
Brian & Nick: can really rely on controlling the experience as well. Even with an entry level solution like Lumaris, still, you have bend LEDs. These aren't gonna color shift on you and end up as a different color than the other. If you have six of them in the ceiling, two of them are gonna end up as a different color, a different... Kelvin, know, two years from now and the homeowner is going to come in and wonder why or how that's happening. It's you know, the experience is really about to be a controlled experience as well. And you can't do that with a lot of other products. Yeah.
Becca Ryan: Well, we are also with Ketra. We have a patent called color lock technology and what it does is it will make sure that we are maintaining the color point accuracy of that light source through the entire lifetime of the lamp. So you all LEDs, Degrade and they shift color. But Lutron actually invented, Ketra invented a patent technology that helps the lamp and devices age within the home to maintain that color point accuracy to look the same way day one, year five and beyond and no other. manufacturer does that.
Brian & Nick: Well, that's a good point. What should customers expect in terms of lifespan, let's say, of a Lamaris or Rania product?
Becca Ryan: Great question. Go ahead, Nick.
Brian & Nick: Do want to take that back or do want me to take it? So yeah, Ketra is 50,000 hours in terms of the warranty ⁓ in the lifetime. I think if you break that down, what we're at, know, normal use though, you're like, what, you know, it's like 10 or 12 years or something like that, you know, so like, or if you had it on all the time, you know, it's like, it's still lot. So ⁓ yeah, you know, I think a lot of people
Becca Ryan: It's like 20 years. It's a lot. Thank you for your
Brian & Nick: Rightfully so I think when anything changes in terms of ⁓ the home and in terms of technology, people are questioning, know, hey, ⁓ what's the lifespan? What's this? What I can tell you is that this is the biggest investment Lutron's ever made in the company's history. ⁓ This is the second company they've ever acquired. The first one was a shade company that worked out pretty good for us. The second one, you know, with ⁓
Becca Ryan: with.
Brian & Nick: Ketra is obviously a huge investment for us of just where we see lighting going. you know, we're still staying true to our core principles of, hey, it's got to be reliable. It's got to work. You know, it's got to be robust and it's got to withstand the test of time. So in terms of our warranties and product, all that stuff, it's all industry leading, which right now, you know, best in the in the industry would be around 50,000 hours. So. Terrific. And from a perspective of education, when we're talking about getting our trade partners in front of us, talking about Lutron Solutions, what can we be doing to provide education to them? we can get, ⁓ you know, we can get architects, CEOs and stuff like that. And I think that's not often talked about until we're engaging them to come to a showroom visit or something. But let's just put that out. Let's put this out here. So everybody knows that even if it's not daisy, whatever your technology partner is, if they're a Lutron dealer, they should be talking to you about this and getting you engaged to sit down for some for some educational time to learn more about this in depth. Yeah, I think the I think where it starts is, is, you know, shameless plug for our design studio here. So we just completed a new experience center in Norwood, Mass 4500 square feet.
Becca Ryan: Thank
Brian & Nick: took years off my life with my computer. it was, our goal was really to create a space where a technology safe space, a place where people can come in, educate themselves and understand what they like and what they don't like. And we just, we saw that across the country there's... you know, there's, Becca can give you great examples of other regions that are doing this at a very high level. And ⁓ we wanted to create a space that allowed, whether you're an architect, a homeowner, an integrator, a lighting designer, an interior designer, whatever it is, you know, a place for you to collaborate and learn about, you know, what's possible. And I think... ⁓ You know, one example we had got when we were thinking about this whole process was like, you know, think about you're going to like, you know, Wolf SubZero, you know, showroom or something like that, right? You know, you go in and you understand why their products are more expensive than what you can see at Home Depot. And they create this great experience. And that's where architects and builders just send folks in the luxury high end world. They just say, go down here and make your selection of what you want so we can keep the project moving forward. And I think we really wanted to create an environment
Becca Ryan: Thank you.
Brian & Nick: like that to partner with folks like you guys, ⁓ to be able to have a space for folks to, you know, when the project kicks off to just say, hey, you should probably go and talk to these guys and see what you like, right? What you don't like and see if you want to incorporate anything into it. So we're hoping that in the trend I've seen and just heard with talking to people across the country is that this has been a really important, been a really important piece when people can experience it and understand it, it's helping the builder keep their project on timeline. It's helping the architect plan ahead of time to get everything that they need to get onto paper. And then when you guys actually go out to execute, everybody's on the same page in terms of executing. So I think strongly that one of the biggest trends over the next few years will just be this concept of, okay, yeah, you gotta go in and you gotta see it, right? And the more people we can get to your point that can come in and actually experience it for themselves and be like, man, this is pretty cool. It allows them to confidently say, hey, you guys, it's worth the drive, it's worth the time to just sit down and understand what you want because now we get at the beginning of the project an understanding of what's important to you and what's not important to you. And that is critical, I think, in any project scope. Well said. ⁓
Becca Ryan: And I think you have to entice people to come into the showroom. Our ultimate goal is for them to experience it right in person. But Lutrons come out with a lot of great marketing material, whether they're digital video assets or a beautiful luxury brochure. A lot of people, and what we're trying to do is inspire them. We want to showcase that you can have a beautifully designed home and you don't have to Photoshop out the lights or the controls or the window treatments. Like we want to help compliment the space like I mentioned at the beginning. of this, we can kind of entice them and get them inspired to what quiet luxury looks like, right? How technology really doesn't need to be seen, but it's more felt. Ultimately try to draw them into kind of a showroom or experience center with whether that's Worcester Terrace or other Lutron Showrooms or rep showrooms around the country and around the world because a lot of what we're trying to do is just inspire them of what is possible Because no one wants to be building their their dream home and not be told something exists Right because that's I think that's falls on the design team and you guys as the integrator of like we want to show you what is possible and then ultimately up to you to decide because it's your home right and we want to customize your experience for what you want your home to look and feel.
Brian & Nick: Yeah, we found, I mean, even just throughout this podcast, right, we've been throwing terminology around, know, like it's, know, everybody knows, right. And we've just the, when we were
Becca Ryan: the
Brian & Nick: you know, in the process of building our space, that was a big driver for us is that people just don't, you know, it's no one's fault of their own. But nobody knows what a static light is. Nobody knows what warm dim is. Nobody knows what tunable white light is. Or dressable lighting. What is that? And at some point, someone's going to ask them, do you want this? And their gut reaction is no, I don't need it seems like something I don't need, you know, but when they can experience it. Yeah, exactly. Sounds expensive. Complicated. When you can experience it, now you create that now
Bert Herrero: Sounds expensive.
Brian & Nick: Now it creates that value and that drive. so our hope and our process was really to create an educational environment for people to just learn about what is possible. And it's been fun to see people's reactions to that. especially customers coming in, right? Totally. Yeah. It's been fun to see people light up with like, oh, this would be really cool outside or this would be really cool in this room or this would be really cool, know, even if it's like a theater or, you know, whatever it is, right? It's like people just kind of open their eyes and they're like, oh man, this would be pretty unique. And for us, know, as a rep. We're not involved with the homeowners as much as you guys are. And now having that experience, we've been able to have a lot of fun with people to expose them to our world. I think as people, I like to joke, I'm like, we have a lot of gadgets and you're probably going to like what you guys can offer. Our industry has a lot of really fun things, but it's been very rewarding to see people very appreciative. to have that resource. I think my suggestion or where I think the world is going, I think my suggestion to any builder or architect is find those resources, whether it's your local integrator, whether it's a local designer, whether it's somebody like us, with a showroom, find where you can bring people to get that experience.
Becca Ryan: guys. And I would say some of the most.
Brian & Nick: Cool to action right there. Yeah.
Becca Ryan: Some of the most memorable projects that we've worked on are the ones where the homeowners didn't realize how lighting actually mattered until they lived with it. And they just now interacting and seeing how intelligent lighting and shades transform just not their house, but how they live in it every day. And Nick kind of mentioned that's very rewarding, but they also have a team behind them to help them show what is possible, whether that's Lutron, because we have that global presence, right? We're trying to really make sure that they're getting on it whether it's through the local rep like Stratteras but most importantly through you guys as the integrators right showing them what is possible like they have an entire team behind them to give them the most and best home that they could possibly live in
Brian & Nick: I it was good conversation. Yeah. Yeah. good stuff. Thank you guys for having us. It very fun. Thank you guys for taking the time. Yeah, absolutely. Appreciate it. ⁓ We'll look forward tuning in for many more. ⁓ I'm being another Yeah. Yeah. Hey, you know, ⁓ right. I'm only sure right. Maybe we should we should do one from the Stratteras. Hey, that'd be We can the show on the road. Yeah. One of the experience that would be fun. Let's do it. Portable camera. ⁓
Becca Ryan: day.
Bert Herrero: Yeah.
Becca Ryan: Yeah, thank you so much. you
Bert Herrero: That would be great. Do like a ⁓ like a virtual tour. That would be awesome.
Brian & Nick: Yeah, that'd be fun. knows all about that. He's doing some virtual tours during the time. I love it. ⁓ in. Good
Becca Ryan: Sounds great.
Bert Herrero: Yep, that's very successful for us.