No moistness is felt around the fixtures because they distribute minute amounts of the repellant constantly while turned on.Photo: NuTone
While determined not to capitalize on bad news, NuTone knows heightened concern about mosquitoes is likely to boost attention to its latest product, NuTone Haven. Sold as both a landscape lighting system and stand-alone dispensers, the product contains a mosquito repellant that is distributed as a vapor when turned on.
Four Haven fixtures will protect a patio or deck area of 440 square feet, NuTone says.
“We talked with a lot of landscape contractors in designing NuTone Haven,” said Mike Long, product manager for the system. “They were enthusiastic about adding the mosquito-control capability to the landscape lighting we were already doing.”
Long said NuTone holds several patents related to the distribution of mosquito repellant via landscape fixtures.
NuTone says its Haven system, which can be set on a timer and managed remotely, is unique and protected by several patents.Photo: NuTone
“It’s an entirely new system,” he said. “No other system does what this does.”
The landscape lighting fixtures come in black or bronze, with a powder-coated, cast aluminum housing and UV-stabilized polycarbonate lens. The 16 integrated LEDs last for 30,000 hours.
Long said NuTone targeted professional landscape contractors with the product, although “a homeowner with DIY skills” might be able to set up a system.
The fixtures distribute a constant spray when turned on and they can be set on a timer.
The company says most users would only have the systems on about 2.5 hours in the evening. Consequently, the mosquito-repellant cartridges inside them only need to be replaced before each outdoor season.
“That was a real positive with landscapers we talked with,” Long said, “because it gives them one more reason to pay an annual call on customers.”
The product is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. No license is required for installers, Long said.
He noted that EPA required extensive testing – “using what the agency calls ‘good lab practices’ – to prove the system’s effectiveness.”
Long says NuTone Haven lighting will eliminate mosquitoes from a selected outdoor space entirely. The tests were conducted over 18 nights on the three most common species of mosquitoes in the United States, he said.
“For the most part, it discourages mosquitoes from approaching,” Long said, “but a less educated mosquito that lingers” will be killed by the vapor.
Because the repellant is expelled constantly when the fixture is turned on, only very small amounts are necessary. Consequently, people in the area won’t detect the odorless repellant, Long said.
He said the response from landscapers has been strong since the product was introduced last month.
“It basically eliminates the hassle of mosquito repellency – no candles, no oil or zappers,” Long said. “Landscapers seem excited to have this to offer their clients.”
Here’s a YouTube video about NuTone Haven landscape lighting:
