The Opportunity
When real estate developer Thomas Balon Jr. of OneKph LLC set out to transform a former North End Corner site at Deer Street and Maplewood Avenue in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he had a clear vision: build a high-spec, mixed-use, architecturally appealing building that maximizes energy efficiency, reduces carbon footprints, and champions American manufacturing by sourcing as many “Made in America” systems as possible.
The building features cutting-edge green tech, including a 50-kW rooftop solar array, high-performance insulation, hurricane glass, hybrid heat pumps, hybrid hot water heaters, condensing laundry, and EV chargers in the parking garage. To keep lighting costs low while delivering premium residential living, Balon chose GENISYS PoE lighting for the 16 residential units.
The Solution
Each luxury condominium unit features its own dedicated GENISYS PoE lighting system, combining U.S.-manufactured GENISYS 6-inch LED downlights, sleek wall switches, and responsive occupancy sensors, along with third-party LED accent strips for cabinets. Behind the scenes, 16 IntelliDrives in smaller units and 32 IntelliDrives in larger units deliver power and control to the fixtures via dedicated PoE switches. Maximum trim levels were preset to maintain rock-solid operation and cap energy consumption, while the intuitive GENISYS mobile app puts total control into residents’ hands. From their wall switches, phone, or tablet, owners can turn lights on and off, adjust brightness, set automated schedules, or craft customized lighting scenes for work, relaxation, or entertaining.
“We managed the bulk of the setup, which was easy once we understood the architecture and the capabilities. GENISYS support was spectacular. They walked us through everything. We ordered a demo kit so we could demonstrate the system to the city and owners,” says Balon. “The 6-inch LED lights look great, and it was excellent that we could get the wall switches in black as well as white.”
