Inspired by a growing customer requirement for system integration, Lewis Building Technology offers the expertise to fully transform your home into a pool of convenience. Merging everyday requirements for home security, audio visual technology, heating, and lighting, it offers a one stop shop for anyone wishing to create hi-tech home.

At the moment, their niche is the upper end of the residential market, though their future projected success is expected to incorporate more commercial ventures as well. Their fundamental proposition is to network together a building’s disparate technologies, and nowadays, offices are always equipped with the necessary communications infrastructure.

The technology that the Lewis Building Technology team can provide is, without a doubt, smart. Their recently completed show home is packed full of gadgetry to make for an easy life. Wireless touch-screens dotted around the house, provide intuitive control of televisions, music and video servers, heating, lighting, window dressings, and all aspects of the security system. And as well as being able to interact with each system individually, the company’s ‘brains’ have used clever cause-and-effect programming to make the systems interact seamlessly with each other. For example, if the doorbell rings while you’re engrossed in a movie in the home cinema, the DVD player will pause and the lights go up a fraction. And, so you don’t have to leave the comfort of the cinema room’s reclining chairs, the same touch panel from which you played your movie, also lets you view real-time CCTV footage of the caller, talk to them via the door intercom, and grant them access to the house by unlocking the door remotely.

At first glance, it may seem that this tech exists to enable a more sedentary existence but there are real environmental and economic benefits being demonstrated in this house. The system is IP-based and in constant contact with all that exists on the World Wide Web. Using a basic weather forecast feed from Google, the house’s window blinds can be cunningly utilized to maintain a constant and comfortable inside temperature – for example when the sun hits the south-facing windows, the blinds lower automatically to prevent rooms from overheating, avoiding the need for air-conditioning. When the intruder alarm is set, and therefore the house is unoccupied, the system ensures that all the lights and televisions are turned off, and throttles down the central heating.

When I listen to Justin Rhodes, Lewis Building Technology’s Managing Director and self-confessed ‘geek’, it’s clear that this is just the tip of the cost-efficiency iceberg. He talks enthusiastically about the dramatic energy-saving effect of dimming lights by an unnoticeable 10%, and utilizing simple ambient light sensors to graduate office lighting so that bulbs close to windows are dimmed more than those in the centre of a room. But Justin’s real passion is clever programming, and he eagerly demonstrates the iPhone app which can deliver remote access to every aspect of the show home’s systems. It seems as if anything is possible; the secret is to fully understand and enhance whatever the client is trying to achieve.

There is no ‘basic package’ or standard requirement for Lewis Building Technology’s clients – each installation is tailor-made to suit the needs and desires of the individual. Key to the company’s success is their thorough understanding of IT integration, and a genuine desire to listen to and understand customers’ motivations, both of which it has acquired from the many years installing sophisticated security systems for its high-end residential and commercial customers.

The technology on display is undeniably ‘sexy’. Large flat-screens swing into action at the press of a button and tempt you to choose from a raft of high-definition movies. Preprogrammed mood lighting complements a fibre-optic starlight effect in the ceiling of the home cinema and motion-activated spotlights on the stair treads. Even the bathroom sports a waterproof TV. Yet, the brilliant thing about this show home is what you don’t see. Twenty-six kilometers of Cat 6 cabling is trunked around the building, invisibly connecting every electronic device in the house with the centralized control system secreted in the loft.

To request your free, no obligation home assessment, and begin your journey to a comfortable, energy-efficient and ultra-convenient way of life, make Lewis Building Technology your next call.

www.lewisbt.co.uk