Circadian Lighting in Ottawa: Tunable Light for Short Winter Days

In December the sun goes down in Ottawa before 4:30. Most people get home from work and the house has already been dark for an hour. The lights come on at one colour of white, usually at full brightness, and stay that way until bedtime.

Circadian lighting is one way to change that. The light in your home shifts colour and brightness through the day, closer to what the sun does outside. Here is how it works, which Lutron products do it, and where it's worth the money.

What circadian lighting means

Daylight isn't one colour. Around noon it's bright and a bit blue. Early morning and late afternoon light is warmer. A candle or a fireplace is warmer again, almost orange. Lighting people measure this in kelvin. A lower number is warmer, a higher number is cooler.

A regular LED pot light is fixed. You pick 2700K or 3000K when you buy it and that's what you get at 7 AM and at 11 PM. A tunable fixture can move along that scale. Circadian lighting just means the system does it for you on a schedule that follows the sun. Cooler and brighter in the middle of the day. Warmer and lower in the evening. Nobody has to touch a keypad.

You'll read a lot of claims about light and sleep. I'm not a doctor and I won't make health promises. The practical side is easy to see, though. Warm, dimmer light after supper makes a room feel like evening. Brighter, cooler light on a grey January morning makes the kitchen feel awake.

Ketra: the top end

Ketra is Lutron's high-end fixture line. Lutron rates it from 1,400K, which is close to candlelight, up to 10,000K, which is a cold blue sky. It can also do soft pastels and full colour. The colour rendering is very good, so food, wood floors and paint look the way they should.

Ketra fixtures are specified one by one. Downlights, linear lights and other formats, picked for each room. They run on Lutron HomeWorks, and HomeWorks has a feature called Natural Show that tracks the sun through the day and adjusts the colour and brightness to match. You set it once and the house follows along.

It's not a cheap product. In a kitchen, a great room or a space with a lot of art, it's the best light we can put in.

A more affordable way in: Lumaris tape light

Not every room or budget needs Ketra. Lutron's Lumaris tape light is tunable white from 1,800K to 4,000K. It goes under kitchen cabinets, in ceiling coves, behind a bathroom mirror, on shelves. It also has warm dim, so as you turn it down it gets warmer, the way an old incandescent bulb did.

Lumaris works on both Lutron RadioRA 3 and HomeWorks QSX. On RadioRA 3 there's a Day/Night mode that shifts the colour temperature through the day. On HomeWorks it can follow Natural Show like Ketra. If you're not sure which system fits your house, our RA3 vs HomeWorks post lays out the differences.

Where it makes the most sense

Start with the rooms where you spend your evenings. For most families that's the kitchen and the family room. That's where the change from bright to warm is easy to feel.

The primary bedroom and ensuite are next. Low, warm light at night is much easier on your eyes than a bright vanity. A path light at 2 AM that stays dim and orange is a nice touch.

A home office or a basement with small windows can use the opposite. Cooler, brighter light during the workday helps a room with little daylight feel less closed in.

Hallways, closets and the garage? Regular dimmable LED is fine. Spend the money where you live.

Plan it before the drywall goes up

Ketra is a new build or major renovation product. The fixture locations, the wiring and the HomeWorks equipment all get planned on the drawings. If you're building in 2027, this is a conversation to have this winter, before the electrician roughs in. Our Lutron lighting control page shows how we plan lighting with your builder and electrician.

In an existing home there's still room to work. If you already have RadioRA 3, Lumaris can often be added in coves or under cabinets where we can get power and a controller in. We look at the room first and tell you honestly what's doable.

Tie it in with shades and the rest of the house

Tunable light works best with the daylight you already have. Motorized shades can open in the morning to let real sun in, then close at dusk as the lights warm up. With Control4 on top, one Goodnight button can bring the lights down to a warm glow, lower the shades, lock the doors and turn off the TV.

What it won't do

It won't fix a bad lighting layout. If the pot lights are in the wrong spots, changing their colour doesn't help. Layout comes first.

You also won't get the same result from a box of colour smart bulbs. They can change colour, but they each run their own schedule through an app, they often don't match each other, and they're bulbs, not fixtures. We cover that in why Lutron beats smart bulbs.

Want to talk it through?

If the long dark evenings are getting to you, or you're planning a build and want the lighting done right, call us at (613) 830-6787 or send a note through our contact page. We're in Orléans and work across Ottawa. As a Lutron Platinum dealer, we design and install Lutron lighting every week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is circadian lighting?

It's lighting that changes colour temperature and brightness through the day to follow natural daylight. It's cooler and brighter around midday and warmer and dimmer in the evening, and the system does it automatically on a schedule.

Do I need Ketra to get circadian lighting?

No. Ketra is Lutron's top fixture line and runs on HomeWorks. Lutron's Lumaris tunable white tape light is a more affordable option and works with both RadioRA 3 and HomeWorks QSX.

Can tunable lighting be added to an existing home?

Often, yes. Lumaris tape light can usually go under cabinets, in coves or behind mirrors if we can get power and a controller in. Ketra downlights are best planned during a new build or major renovation.

Will circadian lighting help me sleep better?

We don't make health claims. What it does is give you warm, lower light in the evening and brighter, cooler light during the day without anyone touching a switch. Many people find evenings feel calmer that way.

Does Lutron tunable lighting work with Control4?

Yes. Lutron RadioRA 3 and HomeWorks integrate with Control4, so your lighting scenes can be part of the same buttons that run shades, music, the TV and locks.