Category Archives: Home Automation

When potential customers ask me what “system” I would use in my own home my answer is this. “I have tried numerous systems over the years, Crestron is easily the most reliable. It costs more and it’s worth it. My apartment is all Crestron – home theatre, lighting controls, HVAC etc. I love it.” This article features a LEED Platinum home recently completed in Las Vegas; written by one of our colleagues John Sciacca who is incidentally NOT a Crestron dealer… The 2013 New American Home was built by Blue Heron and spotlights green building technologies and the latest construction best practices. The National Association of Home Builders challenged Blue Heron’s design team to create a “state-of-the-art home with the best design, materials, and energy efficiencies,” and even though the nearly 7,000-square-foot home is packed with technology, it consumes no energy and produces no carbon emissions (referred to as a “net zero” home.)

Integrated by Design

The home is part of Crestron’s “Integrated by Design” concept that delivers a complete technology solution on a single platform. This allows the home’s “smart” systems and devices to be seamlessly integrated together; they communicate and function on a single platform. Audio, video, lighting, shading, heating and cooling, Crestron is uniquely poised to provide and deliver all aspects of the home’s technology. Greg Simmons, co-owner of Eagle Sentry, the local integration firm that handled the technology install on the project, said this made Crestron “a natural fit” as the technology partner. While the home is packed with technology—nearly $200,000 worth of Crestron components—the AV equipment feels unobtrusive for the most part, never calling attention to itself or detracting from the home’s beautiful, flowing design. Speakers are discreetly placed, touchscreen controls are where you’d expect them to be and don’t clutter the walls, and the programming gives the home automation “smarts” that make it easier for agents to demonstrate and show off the technology. For instance, a “morning” button turns on specific televisions on to local news, raises the shades and adjusts the lights, while “away” arms the security, drops the shades, lowers the lights and adjusts the HVAC system to a pre-set based on time of year.

Indoor Outdoor Living

Beyond the technology, the home’s stunning design beautifully integrates indoor and outdoor living, letting owners enjoy the entire space. As you work your way through the home’s multiple levels and rooms, you frequently move outside and back in, surrounded by water, pools, and beautiful views. Here is a view back toward the house from the walking path shown above. At night, this waterfall overflowing from the pool can display images from a concealed projector, adding another exciting visual element. This outdoor relaxation space features an area you can swim up to, chill out, and catch a movie on another projector controlled by the Crestron system. Here’s an overhead shot of the pool area looking out on the golf course. There is even a secondary, outdoor master bedroom area for the nights when you want to sleep under the stars.

Sunshine

If the Vegas sun should become too brutal during the summer months, the Crestron system can seal the home off from the outside with numerous sliding doors, helping to insulate the occupants from the heat. It can also automatically turn on the home’s misting system to help keep things cool as you walk in and out of the home. The home features a total of 16 video zones, 24 audio zones, and 120 lighting zones, controlled using Crestron Touchpanels, iPads, iPhones and Android devices. Part of the success of the project involved the early and constant interaction and communication between the builder, architect, interior designer, and integrator. This ensured all systems were designed to work together and, as Simmons noted, “We left each meeting knowing we were all on the same page.” With the home’s close proximity to McCarran International Airport, groups can easily fly in, rent a car, tour the home, grab lunch, and then fly back in a single day. Beyond Audio is experienced in every element showcased in this article, if any of this interests you please contact us for a tour of a home powered by Crestron – either here in the Okanagan, or better yet let’s fly to Vegas!