Skip to main content
Pay Now
Access Account Online
Contact Us
Home


REPORT AN OUTAGE
319-385-1577 | 866-242-4232

serving-southeast-iowa-access-energy-cooperative-mount-pleasant-iowa.png

Menu
  • Home
  • Your Cooperative
      1. About AEC
        1. About Us
        2. Our Staff
        3. Board of Directors
          • How to Run for the Board of Directors
        4. Service Area
        5. Employment Opportunities
        6. Cooperative Principles
        7. Where Does Our Power Come From?
        8. History of Co-ops
        9. Touchstone Energy
      2. Policies
        1. Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws
        2. E-Business Privacy Policy
        3. Identity Theft Protection
        4. Privacy Policy
        5. Rights and Remedies
        6. Statement of Nondiscrimination
      3. Member Benefits
        1. Monthly Magazine
        2. Coop News
        3. Dividends
          • Treasure Hunt
        4. New Member Info
        5. What does it mean to be a member?
        6. Annual Meeting
        7. Election of Directors
  • Your Account
      1. Payment Options
        1. Bank Draft
        2. Budget Billing
        3. Credit/Debit Card Payments
        4. Payment Drop Box
        5. SmartHub
      2. Billing
        1. Your Bill
        2. Troubleshooting Your Bill
        3. Rates
        4. What is Demand?
          • Single Phase Demand Calculator
        5. Dividends
        6. Moving/Address Changes
        7. IA Energy Assist Program (LIHEAP)
      3. Electrical Equipment
        1. Your Meter
        2. Who Owns What?
        3. New Construction/ New Meter
  • Services
      1. Residential
        1. Residential Rebates
        2. Energy Audits
        3. Outside Area Lighting
        4. Financing for Energy Efficiency Improvements
      2. Business
        1. Business Rebates
        2. Business Energy Audits
        3. Power Quality
        4. Thermal Imaging
  • Safety
      1. General
        1. Safety Tips
        2. Safety Equipment
        3. Safe Electricity
      2. Safety Policies and Procedures
        1. Grain Bin Clearance
        2. Call Before You Dig!
  • Co-op/Community
      1. Programs for Youth
        1. Scholarships
        2. Lineworker Scholarships
        3. Summer Work and Internships
        4. Youth Tour Contest
      2. Tools For Schools
        1. Teachers Zone
        2. Safety Demonstrations
      3. Community Involvement
        1. Legislation
        2. Contact Your Legislators
        3. Economic Development
          • BizConnections
        4. Revolving Loan Fund
      4. General
        1. Photo Contest
        2. RECare
        3. Discount Card
  • Energy Solutions
      1. Saving Energy
        1. Energy Audits
        2. Rebates and Low Interest Loans
        3. Energy Saving Ideas
        4. Together We Save
      2. Renewable Energy
        1. Access to Green Energy Program
        2. Electric Vehicles
        3. Solar and Wind Energy Generation
  • Outages/Maintenance
      1. Outages
      2. Maintenance Programs
      3. Restoring Power
      4. Tree Trimming
      5. Power Blinks
      6. Frequently Asked Questions

What is Smart Lighting?

Wednesday | July 26, 2023
All News

Gone are the days when a simple flip of the switch was the only choice for illuminating our homes. While we still have this tried-and-true option, we’ve entered a new era of innovative and intelligent technologies, which includes smart lighting.

Smart lighting connects to Wi-Fi and offers an array of cutting-edge functionality and convenience. Let’s look at the main benefits of smart lighting options.

Smart lighting is energy efficient. Most smart bulbs utilize LED technology, which is much more efficient than traditional incandescent lighting. Additionally, smart lighting gives you more control over how and when you light your home, ultimately resulting in less energy used for lighting.

Smart lighting provides convenience and control. Most smart bulbs can be controlled from an app on your smartphone or can be paired with your voice assistant, like Amazon Alexa. You can conveniently control lighting settings from anywhere in your home or when you’re away. Whether you want to set a schedule for lighting or adjust brightness levels, these smart options offer effortless control from the comfort of, well, anywhere!

Smart options empower you to personalize home lighting. Bright, warm, purple, green––whatever mood you want to create, smart lighting can help. For a more traditional look, try dimmable white bulbs. If you want to create the perfect ambiance for movie night, look for bulbs that can be adjusted for a variety of vibrant colors. The possibilities are endless.

While smart lighting offers convenience and control, keep in mind your wall light switch will need to stay “on” for you to control the smart bulb from your phone or via voice command. To use a smart bulb, the wall switch it’s connected to must be “on” so the bulb receives power, which enables it to connect to a Wi-Fi network.

If you need additional options to operate the lights, consider a smart light switch. Today’s smart switches tend to play nicely with smart bulbs. If you want to control your smart bulbs with a physical switch (in addition to using your phone and voice commands), look for smart switches that include a built-in feature that allows both. Many smart light switches include motion detectors as well.

If you’re looking to take the plunge and integrate multiple smart bulbs to your home lighting system, your best bet may be a kit, like the Philips Hue Starter Kit. Most kits include several bulbs and any additional tools you’ll need to get started.

If you’re new to smart home tech and looking to start small, try a smart bulb in a high-traffic area of your home. It’s also worth noting that smart plugs are a great starter option and allow convenient control of lamps or other lighting fixtures that are plugged in to a wall outlet. Smart plugs are inexpensive and simply plug in to your existing outlet. Electrical items that are connected to the smart plug can be controlled from a smart phone app, just like smart bulbs.

Whether you’re looking for more convenience, colorful options or better ways to manage energy use, smart lighting can provide multiple benefits. Determine which smart lighting features are most important for your needs, then start shopping!

Dedicated to exceeding member's expectations for safe, reliable, efficient service while being a good citizen in our communities.

Back to Top

Quick Links

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • News
  • FAQs

Download the Smarthub App!

SmartHub Logo

1_V9-OPWpauGEi-JMp05RC_A.png

Android_App_Download_Badge.png

1800 West Washington Street 

P.O. Box 440

Mount Pleasant, IA 52641

To REPORT AN OUTAGE CALL

319-385-1577 | 866-242-4232

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Please see complete statement of non-discrimination here: https://accessenergycoop.com/equal-opportunity-statement

©2025 Access Energy Cooperative. Safe, reliable, efficient service and a good citizen in our communities.

  • Home
  • Your Cooperative
    • About AEC
      • About Us
      • Our Staff
      • Board of Directors
        • How to Run for the Board of Directors
      • Service Area
      • Employment Opportunities
      • Cooperative Principles
      • Where Does Our Power Come From?
      • History of Co-ops
      • Touchstone Energy
    • Policies
      • Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws
      • E-Business Privacy Policy
      • Identity Theft Protection
      • Privacy Policy
      • Rights and Remedies
      • Statement of Nondiscrimination
    • Member Benefits
      • Monthly Magazine
      • Coop News
      • Dividends
        • Treasure Hunt
      • New Member Info
      • What does it mean to be a member?
      • Annual Meeting
      • Election of Directors
  • Your Account
    • Payment Options
      • Bank Draft
      • Budget Billing
      • Credit/Debit Card Payments
      • Payment Drop Box
      • SmartHub
    • Billing
      • Your Bill
      • Troubleshooting Your Bill
      • Rates
      • What is Demand?
        • Single Phase Demand Calculator
      • Dividends
      • Moving/Address Changes
      • IA Energy Assist Program (LIHEAP)
    • Electrical Equipment
      • Your Meter
      • Who Owns What?
      • New Construction/ New Meter
  • Services
    • Residential
      • Residential Rebates
      • Energy Audits
      • Outside Area Lighting
      • Financing for Energy Efficiency Improvements
    • Business
      • Business Rebates
      • Business Energy Audits
      • Power Quality
      • Thermal Imaging
  • Safety
    • General
      • Safety Tips
      • Safety Equipment
      • Safe Electricity
    • Safety Policies and Procedures
      • Grain Bin Clearance
      • Call Before You Dig!
  • Co-op/Community
    • Programs for Youth
      • Scholarships
      • Lineworker Scholarships
      • Summer Work and Internships
      • Youth Tour Contest
    • Tools For Schools
      • Teachers Zone
      • Safety Demonstrations
    • Community Involvement
      • Legislation
      • Contact Your Legislators
      • Economic Development
        • BizConnections
      • Revolving Loan Fund
    • General
      • Photo Contest
      • RECare
      • Discount Card
  • Energy Solutions
    • Saving Energy
      • Energy Audits
      • Rebates and Low Interest Loans
      • Energy Saving Ideas
      • Together We Save
    • Renewable Energy
      • Access to Green Energy Program
      • Electric Vehicles
      • Solar and Wind Energy Generation
  • Outages/Maintenance
    • Outages
    • Maintenance Programs
    • Restoring Power
    • Tree Trimming
    • Power Blinks
    • Frequently Asked Questions