*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*
Congrats to Amber, Heidi, Kate L., Hanna and Kelsey! I’ll be in touch with you shortly.
It’s been a little over a month since we installed the Lutron occupancy sensor in the boys’ bedroom and we’re really happy with how it’s working. No more yelling at the kids to turn off their bedroom light!
The light automatically shuts off after 5 minutes of no activity in the room. We have the sensor set in the auto on / manual off mode. This allows us to turn the light on manually {we don’t want the light automatically coming on when we check on the boys at night} and we also have the option to turn the light off manually before the sensor shuts it off automatically. Even though the sensor switch is behind a lamp, we don’t have any problems with it recognizing activity in the room.
The only con that I can think of in regards to the sensor is the light automatically shuts off when the kids are in the room being still. This is rare. In fact, let’s call it a miracle because that means my kids are being still for five. whole. minutes. They are usually reading books when this happens. When it does happen they know to just move around a little and the light will come back on automatically. I didn’t realize this feature was built in until we experienced it.
After living with the occupancy sensor for a while, we’ve thought of two more spaces in our home that would benefit from a sensor switch: the boys’ closet and our mudroom.
If we come home in the evening from being out, I always notice the boys’ closet light is on and I have no idea how long it’s been that way. I guess the sensor is spoiling them and they’ve completely forgotten how to turn off their closet light?!
Until our front door is fixed {hopefully very soon – HH worked on it all weekend!}, we will use the french doors in the everything room to enter and exit the house. Ahem, that’s what we’ve been doing for the past year and a half. And even after the front door is functional, I still see us entering / exiting through the mudroom on a regular basis. As is, at nighttime we have to open one of the french doors, step into the mudroom, close the door, then carefully walk in the dark over to the laundry nook to turn on a recessed light before we can see anything. It’s a pain. In this instance, we would use the sensor to automatically turn the light on when it sensed movement in the room and we could also set it to automatically shut the light off after a period of inactivity. It would make a world of difference.
A few other details about the sensor:
*It’s available for standard on / off switches but a separate sensor is compatible with dimmer switches.
*It can be used with all bulb types.
*Regardless of settings, there’s always the option to turn the light off / on manually.
*The sensor switch can sense daylight so that it only turns lights on when needed.
Can you think of a place in your home where a sensor switch would make life a little easier? If so, you should see details below on how to win one along with a matching wallplate!
PRIZE: five {!} readers will win one Lutron Maestro occupancy sensor switch in white and one matching single gang wallplate with no visible screws
RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a shipping address {no P.O. boxes please} within the U.S. to enter. One entry per email address.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “SWITCH ME!”
DEADLINE: Enter before 9:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, October 6th. Five random winners will be announced Monday, October 7th.
WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: Go ahead and share where you would put a sensor switch in your home if you won.
BUT, WAIT!, THERE’S MORE: Score 25% off Maestro occupancy / vacancy sensor switches and dimmers PLUS one free single gang wallplate with no visible screws by using the coupon code “wholeftthelightson” right here through October 31st.
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
DIY, family life, giveaway, kid-friendly