The past several years have been good ones for the lighting control industry. We are starting to experience trends in pricing and in technology more consistent with the rest of the general electronics sector which means 
availability is going up and pricing is coming down. Until recently hard wired fully functional systems have only been available to the wealthy and power line carrier systems have been available to the hobbyist. Issues impeding growth of the industry have been cost, reliability and readily available training. Limited numbers of dealers has meant limited exposure to consumers.
Similar to most other areas in the electronics sector, sales volume, market competition, and creative Research and Development are combining to lower manufacturing costs and end user prices. For years the only affordable lighting control was X10 power line carrier technology. X10 systems rely on passing signals across the existing power structure of the house. X10 is a great idea in theory and systems have improved over time but in practice the signals must compete with the noise generated by all the appliances and other devices in the home. Without firewalls, repeaters and other protection devices the systems are subject to failure, and with them costs increase significantly. Hard wired systems will always be more reliable than power line carrier systems because they have a dedicated communications cable from each switch to a central controller.
What do we mean by feature packed hard wired systems? Features benefiting the end user include: dimming at every keypad location in the home, the ability to create scenes to simplify and enhance the owner's lifestyle such as Entertainment, Dining, Evening, Romance, and Goodnight (just to name a few), built in Astronomical Clocks to turn on and off lighting so the client never has to, Vacation Modes, Security Modes, Remote Automobile Activation, Integration with other home automation systems and, quite simply a cleaner, neater look with less clutter at the wall switch. The only limiting factor in maximizing the capabilities of a hard wired system is the installers and home owner's imaginations.
Complex programming has also been a deterrent to acceptance of lighting control systems by Electrical Contractors. Some manufacturer's even required their technician to be flown on-site to program the system. Tremendous advances have been made in this area. Graphical programming software designed for the familiar Windows ® interface has made programming of some systems easy enough to be programmed quickly by the installer and modified by the homeowner. Centralite Systems ® new LiteJet ™ comes standard with a self prompted Touch Pad Programmer that does not even require a computer. This equates to a quicker trim out with fewer or no callbacks and a strong homeowner bond with the system.
Many manufacturers in the market experienced significant growth, even during the last general economic downturn. Consumers and dealers alike are benefiting from the increasing strength and geographical expansion of these manufacturers. All major manufacturers now offer formal dealer training programs and readily available technical support. Furthermore, time is demonstrating, not only product robustness but manufacturer robustness as well. Costs have come down significantly with Electrical contractors now having access to full-featured hardwired systems for less than $1/square foot. That price makes them a financially realistic option for builders of homes in the $200K-$500K range.
Feature packed systems benefiting the consumer combined with ease of installation and programming, excellent markup potential and low service callbacks are enticing more and more electrical contractors, custom electronics dealers, and general contractors into the market each year, creating profitable opportunities for all.
