This week's episode of Automation Unplugged features our host Ron Callis interviewing Xavier Adechy. Recorded live on Wednesday, October 11th, 2023, at 12:30 pm EST.

About Xavier Adechy

Xavier has been in the CI industry for much of his career. He spent seven years working at Lutron as a lighting control system programmer before branching out to start his own business, Adelux Consulting. Adelux provides top-tier consulting, sales, and programming services for Lutron systems.

Xavier is also a talented content creator and has his own YouTube channel, where he shares his insights as a lighting control and home automation specialist.

Beyond his professional commitments, Xavier is an avid photographer and videographer. He’s a frequent traveler and brings his camera as a companion to capture the beauty of all the places he sees.

Interview Recap

• Xavier’s history with Lutron, from his days as a field service engineer traveling the world, to the present as a system designer and consultant.
• Best practices and advice for designing a lighting control system
• Creating and growing his YouTube channel

SEE ALSO: Home Automation Podcast Episode #250 An Industry Q&A with Tom Doherty

Transcript

Ron:

Hello, hello. Ron Callis here with another episode of Automation Unplugged. We are here for show number 251. Can you believe it? We're all the way up in the 250s now. Today is Wednesday, October 11th, 2023. It is just a little bit after 12:30 p.m. So it is our normal time, our normal day. And we have an awesome guest lined up for you. Actually, someone that I've been following online for a while. And just recently, a few weeks ago, when I was in the UK, I was just outside of London in Farnborough for the EI Live show, and I got to meet him in person, and it felt like I was meeting a little bit of a celebrity because he's got such a following on YouTube, and I've been watching his content. It's also really well produced, right? Alright, so if you look at folks in our industry that are putting out good content about our industry to educate integrators or educate consumers or members of the design community, you know, I could maybe count on a couple of hands the total number of people I know around the world that are doing that at a high level. And this gentleman is doing that. But before we jump into who that is and get you introduced, I do want to remind you that we, One Firefly, we're going to be at Azione, we'll be at the Azione conference next week. I'll be there, I'll be over there with Josh in Nashville. And then right after that, we're going to be at the HTSA conference. And actually Kendall from our team, and I want to say Stephen from our team are gonna be at the HTSA conference. So if you're going to be at those events, definitely stop by and say hello. We'll do the same, and lots of exciting things are going on here in One Firefly land. But we're going to jump straight into the interview. But if you're out there, don't be a stranger. Make sure to get in touch, certainly if we haven't talked in a while. Today, on show 251, we have Xavier Adechy, Director of Adelux Consulting, direct from the UK. So, I'm excited to have him on the show and, let's go ahead and bring him in and say hello. Hello, Xavier.

Xavier:

Hello, hello, hello. Xavier Adechy.

Ron:

Xavier Adechy. How did I do?

Xavier:

Very American.

Ron:

Very American. Well, I can't help it. I am pretty American. So, for better and for worse.

Xavier:

Yeah.

Ron:

I hear the French accent, and I did take several years of French in high school, although from my poor accent, you would never know it. And I won't, though I think I can still count to ten. But we'll move along. I'm maybe a typical American in that I'm stuck with one language, and that's English, and often a poor rendition of that. But I can at least give a little bit of credit in my household. My wife and son speak three languages.

Xavier:

Wow.

Ron:

Yeah. Impressive.

Ron:

But, sorry, I didn't get any of that goodness.

Xavier:

Which languages?

Ron:

My wife is Brazilian, so she speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and English. And she made sure to teach my son from birth, so he is trilingual as well. He can speak Portuguese, Spanish, and English.

Xavier:

Very good.

Ron:

So when they want to talk about me, they just switch languages and I'm clueless, which they might argue I'm clueless a lot of the time anyway, so it's okay.

Xavier:

We all speak French here in this house, so.

Ron:

Really? Oh, so how many languages do you have?

Xavier:

Fluently, I can speak English, and French obviously.

Ron:

Okay. Okay. Well, it's still one more than me.

Xavier:

I can go along in different countries, you know, pull out a few words just to, you know, please the locals.

Ron:

Well, tell our audience who you are. Well, first of all, start, where are you coming to us from? Where are you physically located right now?

Xavier:

I'm located in Reading, in Berkshire, which is west of London, it’s very close to Windsor, where the Royal Family is living. And, yeah, so I'm in Reading right now.

Ron:

We, you and I met, face-to-face, we met a few weeks ago at the EI Live event. That was in Farnborough and my geography is pretty poor, but that was also….

Xavier:

It's very close from where I live. It's very, very close. It's probably 20, 25 minutes away from here.

Ron:

Okay. I remember when I was asking one of the taxi drivers about local things, you know, things to do that are interesting. I remember they said we were very close to Windsor Castle.

Xavier:

Yeah, it's very close. Very close. It was funny when we met.

Ron:

Yeah?

Xavier:

Because I'm going to the EI Live show every year. And the best part for me is the aftershow. You know, when we all go to the hotel, when we go into the pub, we meet there, it's relaxed. So, as always, I got there first, or, you know, I got there, and as I arrived there, I checked my phone, and I could see on LinkedIn, I said, oh, Ron is there. You were doing a talk, right?

Ron:

Yeah.

Xavier:

And you were doing a, you know, EI Live is, yeah, it's quite a big show. But I was like, oh, you are there. I'm going to get my drink. Yeah. And then when I came back to the table, you were here.

Ron:

So you had heard of One Firefly or you had, you had heard of me, I guess, over there?

Xavier:

Of you, of you at the show?

Ron:

Yes.

Xavier:

I've heard of you outside the show, you know.

Ron:

You've heard of me outside of the show.

Xavier:

So I was, yeah, it's when I checked my phone, then I knew you were there during the talk, you know.

Ron:

Got it. Well, let's tell the audience, what is Adelux Consulting? What do you do today? And then we'll, as always, we'll go back into kind of your background.

Xavier:

Yeah, so basically at Adelux, what we do here is all the different stages in lighting control, especially with Lutron lighting control. So, it's basically me. I design systems, I put all the plans together and, you know, the drawing for the electricians, et cetera. So putting all the system together, making it work on paper. Then I follow along with the electrician during the installation, all the way to the programming. Okay. So I'm like any dealer, like any dealer really. That's what I do. So, I work a lot with other AV dealers, okay, who subcontract to me the lighting aspect of their project. And I've got also, you know, I've also got my own projects. I've been doing, for the last 10 years, I've been doing, obviously - more before the COVID. I'm involved in a lot of projects internationally as well. That's one thing I wanted to make sure I kept when I left the corporate world - is the travels. So, yeah, just doing some travel, I’ve been in Spain.

Ron:

Is your expertise or is your practice around lighting system design, is it exclusively, is it exclusive to Lutron?

Xavier:

Well, I would say yes. I would say yes, because I always wanted to do all the other systems, etc. But because of my background, I've always been pulled back to Lutron's system. And now, to put a system together, I specialize in high-end residential, and I mainly do, you know, Lutron HomeWorks. So, I've been programming HomeWorks for 17 years, so it's...I'm not going to say it's very easy, but, like, in terms of, for me to work on a project it’s, yes, it's very easy.

Ron:

You've had more than 10 years, so it sounds like you've built up an expertise around that, and there's certainly plenty of that around the world to work on. I want to get into your background, but obviously I hear the French accent. You said you speak French in your home.

Xavier:

But do you hear my French accent?

Ron:

Is it British, French?

Xavier:

No, what I'm thinking is like, obviously we speak English, and I've got a strong French accent, which after 22 years, you know, the accent doesn't want to leave. But if we were to speak amongst French people, they would know exactly where I'm coming from when I speak French.

Ron:

Which part are you from, you're from France?

Xavier:

I'm from the best part in the world, you know, I'm from Marseille, in the south of France. Yeah. So I was born there. I grew up there. And yeah, I'm a Mediterranean guy, you know, 100%.

Ron:

So if you, if you are in France and you're traveling around France, people will hear your accent and they will know you're from Marseille.

Xavier:

Yeah. Yeah, straight away.

Ron:

It's so funny.

Xavier:

It's very funny.

Ron:

In the United States, it's this, well, I want to say it's probably the same everywhere in the world. Like if we're in the United States, we know a New York accent versus a Boston accent versus a Dallas accent or an Atlanta accent. Like, we can pick it up right away. I think I am mostly accent neutral, although people could be listening and watching and go, no way, you're totally...I'm from Virginia, so I don't know that Virginia has much of an accent, although I do say y'all, which is more southern, to say y'all. And my wife is from Brazil, she is from the North of Brazil.

Xavier:

Okay.

Ron:

And in the North of Brazil, that's considered the country. So in Brazil, the version of Portuguese she speaks is different than the South, like Rio or São Paulo. That's the big city Portuguese.

Xavier:

Yeah.

Ron:

And so when you're in Brazil, or when you're in Brazil, people immediately know, oh, you're from, you're from the North. But for the novice like me, I just hear Portuguese.

Xavier:

Yeah, exactly.

Ron:

It all sounds pretty much the same to me. Which is, that's curious to see that translates around the world, which is pretty cool.

Xavier:

Yeah, definitely.

Ron:

Take us through your background. How did you end up in this industry?

Xavier:

Yeah, well, my background is very simple. I moved to the UK in 2001, okay, so that's 22 years ago. And that's very funny because I didn't move to England to move to England. In the year 2000, I came to the Notting Hill Carnival, you know, in London. And me coming from a small town, I mean, a small, it's a big town, but, you know, that's the only thing I knew. And also people from our region, they don't tend to go away, kind of, you know, because it's very pleasant, the weather is nice and all of that, you know. So I came to the Notting Hill Carnival in 2000 and I saw all those people and the music and all of that. And I said, there is no way I'm going to miss out on that. And I want that to be...I want the carnival...I mean, that atmosphere to be, like, every day. So, I started working in 2000. So, the year after, I quit my job, my first job, and I said, look, I'm going to go for the summer to the carnival, and then, you know, I would practice - I told my parents I'm going to practice a bit of English. You know? Nah, nah, nah. You know? I just wanted to go party, really.

Ron:

And didn’t we all, when we were 20, isn't that what you do when you're 20?

Xavier:

Oh yeah. It was like, I didn't know that there were such party scenes or whatever, you know, anywhere outside, you know. And so I came back in 2001, at the beginning of the summer, waiting for the carnival, but the carnival come and gone, and I stayed. And I stayed, and I was very lucky or not, but I put a lot of work during this time to look for a….because I just finished uni at the time, so I just put a lot of work into finding a job in the UK. And after, you know, I've been lucky, because after six weeks or something I found a fantastic job, where I never expected to find in France or anywhere, and then I started my life in the UK, really. I've been working, I've always been working in control and regulation, but before it was more in the process industry and I stayed there for four, four and a half years or something.

Ron:

What type of schooling did you have? What did you decide to study when you were at university?

Xavier:

Electronics engineering.

Ron:

Electrical engineering.

Xavier:

No, electronic.

Ron:

What did you think you were going to do with that? What was your, when you were a kid, what would you think you were going to do?

Xavier:

One thing I can tell you, and that's probably the story of another podcast, is that I wanted to travel for work from an early age. I wanted to be able to speak English fluently, and that was it. Everything else, when I was at school, honestly, I was doing electronics. It was the beginning, you know, of computers and that, and I didn't have any idea, really. I just wanted to have fun. I was worried about finding a boring job, really. Yeah, very anxious about that, and yeah, so when I moved to the UK and I found my first job, I found a job, a work that matched exactly what I was doing at uni, and actually I learned more about the principle than I learned in that job, in that position. So it was, you know, controlling regulation in a process industry. I've done that, and after four and a half years, you know, you meet a lot of people, and people tell them about, you know, their travels and this and that. And I wanted to become a field service engineer, you know. Going out there, because I was on the phone, really, as an application engineer, you know, trying to simulate faults and finding solutions, which was fine for a while. But at some point, I wanted to be out there and try to do the job myself, to see, you know, what I was capable of, and I wanted to be a field service engineer. And that's where I found a job at Lutron, in 2006, as a field service engineer. And there, I was, like...because now, I was working...I had the background of control and regulation from the, you know, the factories and all of that boring stuff, but very high level. And now I was there configuring systems in, like, you know, luxury homes and flying all around…..I don't want to say the whole world, because I haven't been everywhere, but I've been a lot of places, a lot of places.

Ron:

Probably out of London, you were probably servicing the Middle East and most of Europe.

Xavier:

Yeah, so because I'm French, I've done a lot of jobs in France, obviously, and in Western Europe. I never had the chance to travel to Eastern Europe, for instance. I've never been to Eastern Europe. And then I've done a lot of Middle East. I've done a lot of North Africa from there. I've been to the Caribbean, and to the U.S.

Ron:

What are some of your favorite memories from some of those travels? One or two memories that stand out.

Xavier:

Oh, I should have thought about that. A memory that stands out is probably going to link up to what we're going to talk about later, but, it’s really the connection with the people on site, really, you know. Obviously, you're amazed when you go into those jobs, you're amazed to see people are working there, they are the best at their craft from the stonemason, to the carpenter, to all of these people with a lot of knowledge and experience and stories. So, that was just great. And then....so, that's one part. And then also are the electricians that I've met on site. You know, I've been to countries - you know, I remember one time I was in Morocco and I was working on that job with an electrician, and he was working with a screwdriver, and it was not even an electrical screwdriver. And we'd been commissioning the job and all of that. And then at the end of the day, he was looking around, if nobody was looking at him. And he gave me his screwdriver. And when I talked to the local agent I was working for at the time, I said, look, the election gave me the...he gave me his screwdriver. And he said, you know, it's his only tool he's got. You know. And he gave it to you. I still have it. You know, it's just like...and that's why now I do what I do, you know. It's really the people. It's really the connection with people. You know. I've seen a lot of great houses and, you know, all of that. But, it's the connection with people besides.

Ron:

That's amazing. That's a beautiful story. When you were traveling…..all right. So what happened? You were a field service engineer for Lutron. Did you stay in that role or did you, did you transition?

Xavier:

I did that role probably for three, three years or something. And it felt like a lot because when you're a field service engineer and you like traveling, you know what? You travel. Trust me. You know, it's like you don't have any life. You come back. I mean, you go to your place or to your house, maybe for a weekend. And then on Monday, poof, you open your email. You need to go there.

Ron:

It can burn your love of travel, can't it?

Xavier:

Yeah. It's just like, you don't have any social life. I mean, I was saying at some point that my best friends were a taxi driver and a hotel receptionist, you know. Yeah, it was, like, mad. And then every time you were coming to a job, because obviously it was a job for a dealer, that at the time we were commissioning here in Europe, working like this. And I was like, why am I coming and the system is not plugged correctly, it's not wired correctly, I mean, it's one cable, four colors, you know, why is that? And then I spoke with a few of my colleagues internally and they said, well, it's down to training. How come it’s down to training? I can come to training and explain how to wire a HomeWorks system. Five points, you know? And they took me at my word, and they put me on the front of a first training session, and I was coming as a field service engineer and I was like, look, it's very simple. The black goes with the black, yeah. Yeah, the red with the red. And, you know, but at the time, there were a few rules to follow. And then, next thing I know is that they gave me the job. So now, I'm now a trainer over there in London, still traveling, you know, and all of that. And I really enjoy creating the experience from the moment the clients were coming or registering for the training, and they were coming, and we were approaching, trying to learn. You know, I was, like, putting myself in their shoes, and we were, like, all learning all together. Really loved that. And, then many of them kept saying that, oh, you should do that for yourself, or after the training, they were coming with a floor plan and saying, oh, how should I do that job? And, you know, and then…..I mean, I haven't been brought up to have my own company. I've been brought up to find a job for the rest of my life, like my parents and that. And after a while, you know, after a year, after a while, it started to be in my head to the point where there was no escape. You know, I had to go out. And I remember the day I realized that if I want to continue enjoying what I do, I'm gonna have to go out and do it on my own. And by the time I realized that, to the time I took the decision to hand out my notice, it was probably 12 months, 14 months before I couldn't escape it. I tried many things, you know, but I had to go out. So, I left Lutron in August 2012, and I said, look, I'm gonna do that until Christmas. Yeah? If it doesn't work, then it's Christmas, it's the New Year, we're gonna find another job. And then it's been until today. Yeah, 2023.

Ron:

So, you've been running your consultancy for the last 10 plus years.

Xavier:

Yes, consultancy. So, it's like, because it's only me, it just matches my lifestyle. I had children during that time, you know, also. So it was a lifestyle, it was doing what I like to do. Some people were calling, some people were contacting me just to program their job, some people were contacting me to do their design, and then I became a dealer, and then, you know, I carry on like this. I had a fantastic run until COVID, like many of us. COVID just, like, drained everything. And so I had to develop, you know, like a local market because I was still traveling, you know, as a consultant or whatever. So, I had to reinvent myself and then what happened is that it got to a point where, again, I felt tired of the same issues. Now, the issues were no longer technical issues, but, you know, it's just the everyday life of a dealer. And I was like, do I want to do that for the next 10, 15 years, you know? If I want to, I'm gonna have to change the way I run the business, you know, like, hiring people and all of that. And also, during all that time, I started learning a lot from YouTube, you know, from early 2010. I've always been taking pictures, for instance, but, you know, I learned all my photography from YouTube and my business skills or whatever from YouTube, and this and that, and then fast forward before COVID really hit, I was like, I need to do something, but I really need to find where I can really add value, use my skills, you know. And I was like, you know what, I checked a little bit online into what I was doing and there was nothing. And I was like, do you know what? I'm gonna record my screen. I'm gonna record my screen, you know. Because what happened is that I had this idea before, but I was trying to sell it to other people, you know. I was like, oh yeah, there is an opportunity, you can do this, you can do that. But until I really started doing it myself, you know,that's probably why there was no, no content.

Ron:

I'm going to share the channel on the screen now so that our viewers see your YouTube channel.

Xavier:

Yeah.

Ron:

And what I'll also do is I'm going to, I'm going to put the address also. So, it's at Adelux, at A-D-E-L-U-X. So you approach this channel, anyone that checks this out, and our listeners that are checking it out, maybe while they're listening or afterwards, like this looks like you're doing the thumb, you're doing the thumbnail artwork, like you see a pro YouTuber doing, you know, with the right text and the right graphics, almost all of these or all of these inspire someone to click and you've got, you know, some of these posts thousands of clicks checking your content out. I mean did you start this way or has this been a progression over the last few years?

Xavier:

It's been a progression, it's been a progression. And so I started recording my screen, if you see the first videos, for instance, you know. And what happened is that it was very low-key. I was not telling anyone, I was learning the skills, you know. This is very early, early days.

Ron:

Yeah, yeah. I'm going back to the early days of your posts here on the screen. Let's see here.

Xavier:

Yeah, you see RadioRA 2. Can you imagine that, RadioRA 2? We don't have RadioRA 2. That's from sight, what you see now. Some blinds going down, and oh yeah, I started doing some graphics.

Ron:

No, that's good. Yeah, so I'm seeing a lot of the old, but your face is not initially on screen.

Xavier:

No, no, no, no, they were not on the screen. So the story is this, yeah? I do that, but it's very low-key. And then one day, I got that video on the right, that you've got the unboxing starter kit. I get a hold of that starter kit. You know that there, on your right, if you go down? Yeah, just there. Unboxing. Unboxing starter kit.

Ron:

All right, let me, I've got to start. I'm clicking around, but let me actually try to read here. Uh, Lutron HomeWorks QS tutorial, not that one. Oh, right here, right here. This guy.

Xavier:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. This one. Okay. So I get hold of it, so that's the story. I get a hold of that kit. Yeah. And I open it, and I'm like, oh, actually, I can do an unboxing, you know? So, I do that, and I do it here on my desk. I edit it, you know, and I was like, yeah, it's not bad. Next thing I know, I went to IKEA and I bought those table lamps. That's why I always joke about my black and white table lamp. The white is over there.

Ron:

Yeah.

Xavier:

And I do the next one, which is the next one on your list there, on your playlist. Yeah, complete basic setup. The one on the left, you just clicked.

Ron:

All right, they're right here.

Xavier:

Yeah.

Ron:

Oh, but now your face is on the screen.

Xavier:

That's the first time I filmed myself and I was like...yeah, so I just go, I went to IKEA and I bought those table lamps and I said, look, I can show how to, you know, just plug it, because although this is not HomeWorks, and it’s HomeWorks that I do, I thought then visually, it would work well. And then also, RA2 Select is like, it's a very good system, yeah. But it's still an entry level of Lutron, you know? So, I say it's going to be helpful for electricians and, you know, all these, you know, these sort of things.

Ron:

Consumers too. I mean, right? Can a consumer, can someone go to Home Depot and buy this, or go to their lighting showroom and buy this?

Xavier:

Here, yeah, they can go to a distributor.

Ron:

I mean, this video, just for our listeners, this video, Lutron RA2 Select tutorial, this has 31,000 views.

Xavier:

Yeah.

Ron:

This has more views than most integrators in the world and our industry have on any of their content.

Xavier:

Absolutely.

Ron:

So let's just focus, and you got 284 likes on this video. Why do you think this video resonated with so many people?

Xavier:

I'll tell you why. Because that video is not primarily to tell the audience that RA2 Select is great. We all know it’s great, it’s Lutron, whatever. It's like, it's really, look, it's like the point of view of how I think. It's really to tell the audience about how to set it up. That's all I'm talking about, you know, so it's really practical and the value of the product, you know, is a well-known brand, so that's done. Other people can advertise those products better than I do. But really, why people are consuming this content and all my content overall is because they are very pragmatic. And it's just a how-to. It's a how-to. We look into the details. What happened also is just, like, being on training, I know that, you know, when people are coming in training, with their team members and all that, sometimes their next job is in three months, in six months, you see what I mean?

Ron:

And they forget.

Xavier:

I forget. By the time I do training, by the time I drive back home, I’ve forgotten about it, because, you know, life. And, so I was like, you know, there is such an opportunity there to just explain. And I explained how I do it myself. This is not there to replace any training that exists or whatever. It's just, like, how I do it. And that was the very first time. Now it's a bit different, but….

Ron:

Seeing you do this, like, my immediate gut reaction is, why don't manufacturers do this? Why don't they create this?

Xavier:

I've asked you, I've asked you the question. That's the first question I asked you at EI Live. I don't know. But I really enjoy doing it. I really enjoy doing it. It's just, like, this is the place where I feel that I really provide the best, while I'm enjoying producing the video, but then also learning about stuff. This is very, you know, it's very entry-level for most of them. I'm working on a series now that is a bit more deep, but, yeah, I really enjoy it. I enjoy the editing.

Ron:

What software do you use to do the editing?

Xavier:

Premiere. Because I was doing my photography and all of that, so I had Aperture and Photoshop, so it just made sense to add Premiere. So, what I would say, for people that want to get into this as well, I was working with a free version, or, you know...but then, because there are all the tutorials online about how to do it, I just decided to pay for Premiere. But there is, like, there is new software, like DaVinci Resolve now, which is free, open source. But yeah, all the producing and the...my favorite part is to put the music at the end, of course.

Ron:

Do you play the music?

Xavier:

I tried. I tried to do some stuff with GarageBand, but then it was, like, the production time was taking too long, because that was something that I had to learn again from scratch. So now I'm just getting some music from there, and yeah, it's a lot of fun, really a lot of fun. And, so, talking about the channel, also, what we don't really have in our industry is that we may have content or training or whatever on the product, but we're working for the integrators. And a brand, and I understand why, is not going to do much to….I say much, I'm not saying they don't do nothing, they do because there are tech notes and, you know, documentation, but, like, how to complete, how to do the integration between two systems, you know, and what you can do, the easy way or, you know, different ways. And that's where now I'm going to try to focus a bit more because of the feedback I received from the channel. I mean, if you look at some, some have done them because people have been asking, hey, can you do that for us? For us, not for, you know, for us as the audience?

Ron:

No, that's brilliant. How many...I'm curious, do you see many people in our industry putting out good quality content on YouTube?

Xavier:

I don't, I'm not saying then, because, you know, I'm not going to be absolute on this, you know, but I don't see much. But I understand why as well. It's because I do that for free, yeah? And it takes a long time. You know, sometimes we think, oh, he's going to do it in one day. It's taking a long time because I script everything. So I script everything. I record the audio. I do audio, I do all the edits myself, and if it looks flawless right now, it's because there's been a lot of editing. Not everything is going according to plan.

Ron:

It sounds, Xavier, like you, I mean, this is a passion of yours, learning. And I mean, really learning about these systems, but also learning about the production of good educational content, learning about how to use Premiere, learning how to produce music. I mean, that sounds, is that, are you in your happy place when you're creating this content?

Xavier:

Yes, yes. And then, you know what? But I can't not do it, you know? I can't just go to sleep and say, oh, forget about this YouTube thing, it doesn't bring any money, or whatever, or it's taking too much time, or I'm too busy, it's just like I have to do it. So now I've learned, so I'm probably putting myself a bit out there, but I've learned some...I've improved my way to design systems using 3D software and, you know, and all of that. The first thing I thought, it was like, oh, that's going to create amazing content, because now I'm going to be able to put the people in the space to see the different features or, you know, ways to light a space. So that's coming next as well.

Ron:

Have you gone down the path of, so beyond lighting control design, have you gone down the path of lighting design, fixture specification?

Xavier:

Yes.

Ron:

What has that journey been like for you? What have you done?

Xavier:

On most of my projects, on some of the projects, there is a lighting designer. And I respect those, and I've been working with those, and I wish I can work with those, because I'm a very creative person, and why I stay in lighting is because I love how it looks at the end. As I say, I've never done this job of lighting control so you can see better in the dark, you know? That's not why I do it. But what happened is that there are jobs, where there are projects, where they know that they need a lighting designer but it's not been budgeted. Let's just call it this way, okay? And some clients have been approaching me and saying, look - because when I do a Lutron design, I need to know the lighting design information. If it's not there, I can't do my job. So I was, like, okay, let me go down and put a drawing together. I’ll tell you how many circuits we need, the load type, I’ll do the drawing, do the quote for the light fittings, etc. And then from one thing to another, now it's going beyond the plans, it's about putting the things in 3D, being, you know, being asked what they should do. A bit of creative input as well, you know, like, I put it on the drawing, say, look, you know, this is going to be your artwork lighting, the wall is bare, you're not going to have any painting, look, if we do that. I love external landscape lighting as well. So, I went down there. So, I'm not going to say, with respect to my colleagues’ lighting designers, that, you know, I can do their job, but I...

Ron:

But you're on your way.

Xavier:

Yeah, but yeah, you know, at the end of the day, you know, there are projects where it's not been budgeted, but we need that to be done. Otherwise, what are the alternatives? The alternatives are the client is going to try to find out something he's never done, or we're going to have an electrician who's going to do his best work. But maybe now what we could do is add a bit of flair in our design, you see what I mean? Rather than seeing the ceiling as, you know, a grid of spotlights, you know, we need to make sure we mix load type to create atmospheres and scene and all of that.

Ron:

Do you plan or are you thinking about, and maybe you referenced this a moment ago and I missed it, to create some of your educational videos around some of the basics of lighting design? How to light an interior, how to...

Xavier:

Yeah, because of my day work, I discovered a new way to present design systems. Sorry, excuse me. To present the work of lighting, you know, using 3D software and rendering and all of that. That matches our design after our floor plan or electric plans. And, yes, there is a series that I'm working on at the moment, for instance, it’s like…..let's call it, what cool ideas you can have to create, to improve, the lighting in your space. And I'm talking about, you know, putting LED strips under the counter, you know, that sort of thing. It's an LED strip. It's not gonna break the bank, but I've done that with some of my clients, and they keep telling me about that thing, you know, below the kitchen counter, you know. And it's...you know, it's a full system with pendants and downlights, and that's the only thing they're talking about. Or how to light, you know, your curtains, and, you know, your window system. You know, all the little things. So, starting from open space, you know, living, dining, kitchen, bedrooms, you know, that sort of thing is coming up next.

Ron:

I'm curious, if you think about this, either as an independent consultant, Xavier, or as an integrator, what is your opinion? I'm going to go back to the interaction with the prospect, the person that's considering, I'll just, I'll reference the integrator. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. And in order to have a lighting control design and thus a budget, you have to go do work, you've got to get that lighting plan, the loops in groups. You've got to have some discussions with the customer and then you've got to go enter that into the design software. Potentially, you have to go and mark up CAD plans, whether you do it with a marker, you do it in CAD software. What is your opinion, do integrators that you come across, do they normally do all that work for free? Or should they be charging for that work? Keeping in mind that, that's what I'm going to call the initial design work. Yeah, before ultimately the project is secured.

Xavier:

The lighting design we're talking about?

Ron:

The lighting control, the control system. That's what I'm curious about. I'm curious about your opinions on what should be produced and what should be billed to the customer because, you know, you, the expert, the integrator expert, Xavier the expert, you know things that allow you to take the electrical information and the client's wishes and goals and you get to output a design. I'm just curious if you have an opinion of whether you should be charging for that or not.

Xavier:

I definitely charge for it myself, because, it's like, you want to build a house, yeah, you need an architect to draw the house. You can't just go there with your bricks and mortar and say, let's build a house, you know, you have to plan it. And that plan, that, what I call the design package, is definitely chargeable. I charge for it. I have to charge for it, because, again, what is the alternative? Somebody is going to have to find out this information. And this is what allows us to have a successful project at the end. It's like, if that design has been done. Because after, like, buying the kit and putting it in a panel, and, you know, that's one thing. I've seen so many jobs where that has been the approach. And then after, we're trying to fix, during the commissioning and the programming, design issues. This doesn't work this way. You know, there are, you can't….it's not like you can't, but at that level of project, I'm talking again, I'm talking about...I only know high-end residential, okay? You have to have the job finished before you start. That's the only way. For the client, number one, because when you're trying to fix design issues in the programming, these are commissioning days, these are days, these are days on site. The way I build my project, for instance, is to say, look, Mr. Customer - the quoting process is in order to optimize your cost. Yeah? So, that's why there is a design. Because once there is a design, then the electrician and the installers, they know exactly where to put things. Okay, and when I come to site, the project is already ready on my computer, so I can just push the project, and then we can just do the initial testing, everything is talking to one another, and I've got basic programming, one day and it’s done. You see, after the client is paying for the, you know, for the commissioning and the programming, and he's really programming, he's really seeing settings and integration, he's not fault-finding, you know. So, yes, it has to be, I mean, that's the only way I can see how we can get to the end, is by doing the design. Now, sometimes we don't have the lighting information to do our design. Hence, the lighting design services that I started to offer. Does that answer your question?

Ron:

No, it does. That's your belief in what you do. And by the way, you and I agree, I completely agree that professional services should be billed for, in almost all cases.

Xavier:

Okay.

Ron:

I'm curious if that's, do you see integrators out there regularly charging for that, or are they giving that away, and is that a missed opportunity, or is, what's the standard in the UK and in Europe?

Xavier:

It's very, it's very hard to say, because number one, number one, myself, of course, we talk when we see each other at trade shows, when we're on the road, and we call each other, this and that, but I am very, you know, tunnel-focused on my projects. So, you know, and especially, that's something that I've been doing for a long time, if there are things that need to be changed, it's not in the way that, you know, the design needs to stay there, you know, there is new equipment and all of that, of course, but I wouldn't be able to say for sure what other people are saying in the UK.

Ron:

I'd be above your pay grade.

Xavier:

That would be me speculating, really.

Ron:

Yeah, understood, understood.

Xavier:

One thing I know for sure is that I fix more, you know, problem jobs than most. And what I can say is that, what I can say, and it touches me a lot when I see online, people say, oh, look at this installer. This was a, you know, crappy job. And I fix it and all that. What I know for a fact is, like, every crappy job has a story. It has a story. It's pointing out the previous installer, maybe, but that's a loss. Or maybe it didn't have a price for the design. Maybe the, maybe it was the skills. But maybe it's the relationship with the client as well. The information is not being communicated properly. There is always a story. So in order to avoid that, you just plan.

Ron:

What's your experience with circadian rhythm lighting or tunable lighting? The idea that the light inside the home is matching the sunlight temperature, the temperature of the light. I know that Lutron obviously has Ketra, most of your major control brands have some version of a tunable lighting solution at this point. Are you, I'd love to know your opinion on that, the impact that has in the home. And I'd also be curious, what are you seeing in terms of demand for that type of solution?

Xavier:

I think the demand, at this point, the overall demand, yeah, because once, sometimes we've got it in the specification, so the demand is done, it's going to come more and more. And it's down to us to communicate the benefit of it, into, you know, how it works, etc. As for myself, I love it. I love it for different aspects, okay? Number one, if we're talking about circadian, we're talking about, you know, tunable white fittings. And tunable white, first of all, is a great asset just for the lighting design, first and foremost, you know, because, as you know, since we had LEDs, it’s only now that the color temperature is more or less acceptable and all of that. So, having, you know, your LEDs tunable, I think is a great asset for the lighting design, number one. After, you know, to live in a circadian mode, I think it’s great. There are a lot of papers talking about the benefit of that, from our human experience, I would say. But I've yet to have more experience myself, to communicate this. Now, there is another opportunity with this. Because, obviously, in residential, but also in other markets, like healthcare, for instance, I think it’s very important. I think it lowers the stress for the patient, it helps recovery. So that's new areas that I'm looking into. And I will invite people also to look into this. I've got a full series. I built a panel just in the front of me where I've got tunable whites, coming up amongst previous technology.

Ron:

I hadn't followed it that closely. So are you, well, and I'm very aware of it. I desire to do it in my own home, but I've got to, I've got to do some remodeling with my fixtures to make it happen. Is there a proven health benefit of tunable light in the home? Or, it sounds like, or the hospital, or the, you know, just where humans are interacting with that light.

Xavier:

Yeah. Well, I only repeat what I've learned from, you know, the publications, okay?

Ron:

You and I are not doctors, so we're not, I'm not saying you did a study or I did a study.

Xavier:

There is a lot in the publications at the moment, but then if we think it's just, like, you know, like, hospital furniture is also important. The colors of the walls are very important, you know. It's all part of the same thing, you know. But, that's why it makes sense.

Ron:

It does make sense.

Xavier:

At the end of the day, dimming the light is more important than everything. And also, you know, when you look at this technology, you know, it's just that the equipment has changed, but it's not, like, more complicated, or, you know, with a product that doesn't exist, it's just another reference in our catalog now. So, it's going to be great. And in residential, it’s going to be great because, you know, you want to create this atmosphere, and now I don't have to rely on my table lamp and my pendant. I can also rely on my LED strips, yeah? So, I mean, I say LED strips because, yeah, downlights are coming in Europe and all of that.

Ron:

What are some recommendations or advice that you might give to system designers out there regarding lighting control design? Just some pet peeves, some things that you've learned over the years that, whether it's in the zoning or grouping of lights, whether it's in keypad design or functions on keypads, what are some things that you just, you strongly recommend people listening, consider implementing into their projects?

Xavier:

So, let's not put all our eggs in the same basket. When you enter a room and there is one lighting circuit, that is all your eggs in the same basket, right? You're going to rely on that one circuit when you've got six or nine downlights moving at the same level for your lighting. Number one, try to split your circuit, but think about it a little bit so if you've got a screen or a TV, maybe the one at the front of the TV can be in one circuit and the one above the seat can be in another, okay? Number one is this. It's like we are controlling circuits. Obviously, I'm saying just split in two, but we work on projects, I work on projects, where in the clock room in the toilet, there was like six or eight circuits. Okay, this is probably above the top, but there are projects like this. Okay, so number one, make sure then per room you have enough circuits. Don't put just one circuit. The second, I would say, is, you know, we've got that conversation about, oh, I found a fitting, it can dim to 1% and, oh no, mine is to 0.1% and, you know, we're like, who's got the best? Actually, for...I'm just talking personally. For me personally, it doesn't really matter as long as I've got a good, you know, good performance out of my fitting, because from the fact that you don't rely on one single circuit, number one, okay? But then also you don't rely on that downlight to create that warm atmosphere or that warm scene at night, etc. Use table lamps, you know? Don't put all your magic out in one pendant, in one downlight. Try to, you know, not put your eggs in the same basket. So that's one thing I would say. You never mix load type or fitting type on the same circuit, okay, as a rule. Some people will say, oh yeah, but there is an exception, etc. Okay, I'll let you deal with your exception. But as a rule, we're not going to put together a downlight with a wall light together, because they're going to have different levels of performance, and, you know, that's something you don't do. So, never mix. Always, you know, count the number of circuits that you have, because that is going to give you the size of your control system, regardless of the control system you're using. Okay. Now, when it comes to programming the keypads, I would say keep the same…..I can't tell you how many jobs I've been called to. Clients say, oh, my system is not working. Yeah, my system is not working. When you realize the system is working, it's just that you forgot what button we're doing, yeah? So, of course, there is the engraving, and there is, you know, whatever, but sometimes, I mean, sometimes, you have to engrave your keypad. That's number one, at the end. It can stay unengraved for one year or two, because, you know, how those projects are going, but at the end, it needs to be engraved. But keep the keypad working the same. So, like, the on button should always be in the same place, the off button always in the same place, right? And that should be simple, you know, action. And then try to, if you've got blinds, the blinds in your column of buttons should be in the same position. Start with this. Start from a winning situation, position. And if you do that, you're going to realize then the client is going to ask you to change a couple of buttons. And it's better to say, yes, I can do it. And you do it, you know, rather than saying, you know, to go the other way around. So, yeah, keep communality on your keypad. And if you do that, that's good. And at the end of the job, keep, obviously, your program, and also any wiring for the future. Does that make sense?

Ron:

Yeah, it's perfect. Brilliant advice. Do you believe that lighting control system installers should go back to the customer on some regularity, whether it's 90 days after the move-in, one year, two years, five years, and ask them about the buttons and if anything needs to be changed? Should that be a standard offering?

Xavier:

For me, it's a standard. So basically, in my offer, my proposal, the commissioning and programming stage is in three phases. There is the commissioning phase, and it can be one day to a week, it depends on the size of the project and that. And then there is that phase of programming, and there is the fine-tuning. It's there. You see, it's there. Now, myself, I don't mind disclosing that for 11 years, or I don't know, I've always, when it comes to programming, I only charge the days I come to program. Because we've done all that effort in design and install and all of that. Sometimes, you know, how long it's going to take to program…..it really depends on the state of the installation on the day of commissioning. You know, so, if everybody is doing his job, then we can do that. But at the end, there is the fine-tuning. So, there is a fine-tuning. So, I don't know if that answers your question, but if the client is aware, then, you know, after six months or a year, you should have a fine-tuning visit for us to adjust, or things are gonna happen. And most of the time, these are new houses, or new renovation projects, and it's just normal. So it’s in my quote, to answer that question.

Ron:

No, I think that that's brilliant advice, and for anyone tuned in that doesn't have that in their standard operating procedure, that'd be something to consider. Xavier, you've been a pleasure to talk to and I know that I've learned a lot and anyone tuning in, watching or listening has learned a lot. How can people get in touch with you? How would you direct them to ultimately learn more about you, your offering, or to talk to you directly?

Xavier:

Well, I think the best overall is email, I would say. Obviously, you can find me on Instagram, you know, at Adelux Consulting, very easy to find. You will recognize my face straight away. But, you know, one thing I would really appreciate from the audience is just to have a look at the channel, the YouTube channel, see what it is about, and subscribing to the channel will help here, you know, to produce new content and all of that. So, for those who are here today, or going to listen to the podcast, if you can go to, you know, at youtube.com. It's youtube.com, by the way. I can see, uh, www.youtube.com at Adelux or look for Adelux on YouTube. And if you can give me a thumbs up and subscribe, then it will allow us to create more content or at least to, you know, to create a space, you know, for us sharing our experience because that's what the channel is about, okay. Now, the good thing is also that end-users are also using it. Not because there is not a lot of content for end-users, I don't know, but the people of our generation, before they go and make a purchase of that size, they like to get educated a little bit so they can have a conversation with you guys. If you can support the channel, that'd be appreciated.

Ron:

Xavier, we're gonna wrap it up, my friend. Thank you for joining me on Show 251.

Xavier:

Thank you very much.Talk to you soon.

Ron:

All right, sounds good. All right, folks, there you have it. Show 251. Xavier Adechy, Director of Adelux Consulting. You know, I think you all know, probably, I've mentioned it maybe every show at some point. I got my start in the industry at Lutron. So, obviously, I lived, ate, and breathed lighting in the early years of my career, and I do love talking about it. Did a lot of educating, in fact, at CEDIA for many years around lighting control system design and documentation methods. And so, I totally love digging deep and nerding out a little bit on process, and Xavier's quite the expert. And, as you can see from his YouTube channel, so willing to share with us all. So on that note, I am gonna be doing a little bit of traveling the next two weeks. Got the Azione show and then I'm gonna be doing some traveling to celebrate a wedding anniversary, my 20th wedding anniversary. But then we'll be back with more shows, and we got shows booked through the rest of the year. So I appreciate you all tuning in and on that note, I'm gonna sign off and I will see you all soon. Thanks, everybody.

SHOW NOTES:

Xavier has been in the CI industry for much of his career. He spent seven years working at Lutron as a lighting control system programmer before branching out to start his own business, Adelux Consulting. Adelux provides top-tier consulting, sales, and programming services for Lutron systems.

Xavier is also a talented content creator and has his own YouTube channel, where he shares his insights as a lighting control and home automation specialist.

Beyond his professional commitments, Xavier is an avid photographer and videographer. He’s a frequent traveler and brings his camera as a companion to capture the beauty of all the places he sees.

Ron Callis is the CEO of One Firefly, LLC, a digital marketing agency based out of South Florida and creator of Automation Unplugged. Founded in 2007, One Firefly has quickly became the leading marketing firm specializing in the integrated technology and security space. The One Firefly team work hard to create innovative solutions to help Integrators boost their online presence, such as the elite website solution, Mercury Pro.

Resources and links from the interview:

• Adelux Consulting YouTube Channel
• Xavier Adechy LinkedIn