I shared the recently tidied boys’ dresser yesterday but there’s a less obvious tweak going on there, too.
We installed an occupancy/vacancy sensing switch in the boys’ shared bedroom/playroom. Why? Apparently, turning the light off is difficult to do when you’re flying a Lego rocket out of the room and so, of course, you assume your sibling will turn the light off for you. But your brother/sister doesn’t flip the switch because he/she is also preoccupied with an en route Lego rocket whilst departing the room. In the end, you’re both to blame. WHO LEFT THE LIGHTS ON?!
I find myself yelling that more than I care to admit. The boys’ room is usually the brunt of my frustration. It’s furthest from our main living space and, all too often, the ceiling light is left on by my older kids who are distracted upon exiting. I only discover the light blazing wastefully on my way to my bedroom or bathroom…long after it should have been turned off. Drives me B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
Enter this. The Maestro occupancy sensor switch which retails for less than $20. It’s a two-part switch. The bottom is a sensor and the top is a push button to manually turn the light on/off. It can be programmed to automatically turn lights on when someone enters a room and to automatically turn lights off when everyone has left the room. To my kids, it’s magic.
Installation was pretty straightforward and relatively painless. It took HH less than 15 minutes to put in the new sensor switch. I captured the installation on video for your viewing pleasure. But, first, a few things you should know about this riveting video.
*This is my first time sharing a video on the blog. It shows. Next time, I’ll video in the landscape orientation.
*The installation took place after dinner one night – as is the case for most projects around here. The lighting is less than optimal and about halfway through I discover the flash on my phone. Duh.
*HH’s performance is stellar. He just LOVES being on camera. {typed with sarcasm}
*All three kids were home when this video was made. Mabrey is playing blocks, babbling and singing in the background. Initially, the boys are outside playing but they totally videobomb us. Welcome to my world, people.
*There are many “that’s what she said” moments. I’ll let you find them on your own.
*I am a behind-the-camera giggling fool. Feel free to laugh with me.
Go ahead. Watch it. I apologize in advance for any awkwardness.
As you can probably tell, this video was not scripted in any way. We did one take. We just video’d a typical DIY in our house. This is how it really happens. {Minus the music and fast-foward screwing & unscrewing. That would be cool in real life though.} Complete chaos. All. the. time.
A few FYI’s about the DIY:
*Just a friendly reminder to cut power to the outlet before you begin any work. You’re welcome.
*HH wants you to know that you should twist electrical wires in the same direction that you will twist the wire nuts. He said it somewhere during one of the sped up sections of the video but it got cut.
*The sensor switch is customizable so you can set it up for your specific needs. We chose the manual on/auto off {we don’t want the light automatically switching on when we sneak in to check on the boys at night}, low motion sensing and a 5-minute auto off delay. If you opt for the auto on setting, the sensor detects daylight and only turns on when needed. Lutron offers a dimmer switch sensor, too, for dimming needs.
*We had to use a different switch plate cover once the new sensor switch was installed. We needed one with a single decorator hole and a single toggle hole. Luckily, I found one in the garage in the electrical department. Seriously. We could probably open up our own home improvement store.
So far, the new sensor switch is working out great. HH likes adding any kind of technology to the house so this is right up his alley. The boys think it’s awesome. Lazy kids nowadays. I’m excited to see the sensor switch in action more when summer is over and it starts getting darker earlier and our winter days are dreary. Right now the days are long and mostly bright so the ceiling light doesn’t get turned on that much.
What technological advances have you added to your home to make it more convenient, efficient or budget-friendly? HH is dying to know.
This post brought to you in part by Lutron. Stop wasting. Start saving.
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor