On Sunday, November 20, 2005, the latest episode of the popular reality show Extreme Makeover Home Edition aired on ABC. In this uplifting episode, the Johnson family, in Medfield, MA, was surprised with a brand new home of their dreams, complete with the MultiSet Pro® wall-mounted dimming system and Onset® digital preset dimmers from Lightolier® Controls.

Overseeing the materials portion of the construction was Paul Macrina of Paul Macrina Electrical Contracting, Inc. "I served as the Assistant Coach for the production which means I was in charge of securing all the electrical materials to be used in the renovation," stated Macrina.

In order to complete his task at hand, Macrina had to wade through the numerous lighting control systems and products on the market. With the extremely limited amount of construction time, the lighting control solutions chosen had to be reliable and uncomplicated in the installation and set-up.

"I chose the MultiSet Pro and Onset lighting solutions mainly for their ease of wiring and programming," said Macrina. "The installation of the product lines are effortless and straightforward. The products are reliable, and I have had great success with Lightolier Controls products in the past. Plus, I received great support from Vince Mrlack [Lightolier Controls Regional Sales Manager] and all the Lightolier Controls staff."

Lightolier Controls’ MultiSet Pro is a robust system of wallbox dimmers and master controls that provide between five to 13 lighting scenes. Standard wiring makes the system fast and easy to install as MultiSet Pro incorporates a dedicated "single-wire" communication capability that allows up to 30 MultiSet Pro dimmers and master control stations to be interconnected. Tap the "Scene" button and watch as it illuminates and then fades the lighting in the entire room to the desired preset lighting level. Elegant fade rates can be programmed for each dimmer and each scene. And every Ellipse Series 5-scene keypad includes a built-in infrared receiver that accepts commands from an optional Lightolier Controls hand-held wireless remote control.

Onset digital preset dimmers are intuitive, elegant, fully digital dimmers. With an Onset dimmer, lights can be adjusted to any level without affecting the preset, and lights may also elegantly fade on and off, enhancing the atmosphere of a room while extending lamp life. An informative, but subtle, LED indication shows the preset level, current light level, and off status of each Onset dimmer, and each dimmer maintains the true presets recorded by the homeowner and not just the last level in memory. Onset digital preset dimmers allow for the dimming of several different load types including electronic, low-voltage, fluorescent, non-dim, and fan control.

To maintain an aesthetic beauty, both MultiSet Pro and Onset dimmers fit standard decorator-style faceplates in a variety of complimentary colors. Furthermore, the appearance of Onset dimmers match that of the MultiSet Pro allowing the two systems to blend extremely well with each other and the remaining decorator devices.

The lighting control system renovation extended into three main rooms for the new Johnson family home; the Red Sox family room, the "Great Room", and the new kitchen.

Macrina continued, "Since the Johnson family are tremendous Boston Red Sox fans, the family room was modeled for the viewing of the baseball games in a High-Definition setting. It was also decorated completely in Boston Red Sox paraphernalia. Therefore, we were able to use the lighting solutions to give the homeowner complete control over multiple lighting scenes that will enhance the setting of the room, without cluttering the walls with numerous unattractive switches. It had a nice clean look to it."

"In the ‘Great Room’, which was the main entry way and greeting area for the home, we were able to give the homeowner total room control from various points of entry, along with multiple lighting scenes to beautify the open and warm atmosphere."

"And, in the kitchen, there were a multitude of lighting fixtures throughout the room from overhead to under-cabinet lighting. So we were again able to use the lighting solutions to give the homeowner multiple access points with multiple scenes without the clutter of numerous switches on the walls."

Doing a complete home renovation in only one week requires a small army of talented professionals working around the clock. When it comes to installing and programming the lighting controls system, the products used must be able to keep the pace going, or the whole project could risk falling behind schedule.

Macrina went on to say, "There were 45 total electricians on this job, so everyone needed to be able to work with the MultiSet Pro system and Onset dimmers without any formal training and hopefully no installation problems. And they did. The ease of programming and wiring made them both perfect for this job. The whole process went completely smooth."

Of course the true test of a complete lighting control solution not only lies in the installation and programming for the electricians, it also needs to meet the expectations of the homeowner. If the homeowner is not happy with the system, the system has failed.

Macrina concluded, "The final product came out great! The Johnson family was shown how to operate the complete system in only a half-hour, and they absolutely loved it!"

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ABOUT LIGHTOLIER® CONTROLS
For more than 20 years, Lightolier® Controls has provided quality, innovative lighting controls and a full range of advanced lighting control systems for commercial operations and residential properties. Through continuing technological advancements, Lightolier® Controls has revolutionized the way lighting controls and systems are both designed and installed creating unparalleled excellence in the industry today. The Dallas-based company is a division of Genlyte Group, LLC (NASDAQ symbol – GLYT); partnered with Vari-Lite and Entertainment Technology.

ABOUT EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA. The series is executive-produced by Tom Forman. The show airs Sundays (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), on the ABC Television Network.