November 11, 2026 · 5 min read · Lighting
Replacing LiteTouch lighting: what Lutron’s retrofit keeps
A LiteTouch house does not need new walls to get new lighting control. Lutron publishes a retrofit path. What it keeps, what it replaces, and the one wiring question that decides the keypads.
The short answer. A LiteTouch system can be replaced with Lutron HomeWorks without opening the house. Lutron publishes a UL listed retrofit: the LiteTouch modules in the lighting panel are swapped for Lutron power modules, the wiring to your lights stays, and the keypads are replaced, either on new keypad wire or as Lutron wireless keypads powered over the wire already in the wall. IntegrateIT, a Lutron Certified Dealer and HomeWorks Certified in Overland Park, Kansas, replaces older lighting control across the Kansas City metro. Call or text (913) 804-7575 for a no-cost on-site assessment.
What a LiteTouch system is made of
LiteTouch is centralized lighting control. The dimmers are not in the wall boxes; they are modules in a central panel, run by a processor. The keypads on the walls are buttons on a low-voltage wire back to that panel. Lutron’s retrofit follows the same shape, which is why so much of the house can stay.
| Part | In Lutron’s retrofit |
|---|---|
| Wiring from the panel to your lights | Stays |
| The panel enclosure | Stays if it is recessed in the wall (a Lutron subplate goes inside it); a surface-mounted panel is replaced with a Lutron panel |
| Dimming and switching modules | Replaced with Lutron power modules, from Lutron’s cross-reference table |
| The processor | Replaced with a Lutron HomeWorks processor, mounted in a Lutron panel |
| Keypads | Replaced |
| Keypad wire | Either replaced, or reused to power Lutron wireless keypads |
The panel: subplate or a new panel
Lutron’s Application Note #719 cross-references each LiteTouch dimming and switching module to the Lutron HomeWorks power module that replaces it. Where the old panel is recessed into the wall, Lutron offers a subplate that fits inside the existing enclosure and holds up to eight Lutron power modules and a module interface. The processor cannot go on the subplate and gets a panel of its own. Where the old panel is surface mounted, Lutron recommends replacing it with a Lutron feed-through panel, so the modules run at their full ratings.
Two details matter in the design. Inside the subplate some Lutron modules carry lower load ratings than they would in a Lutron panel, and the note warns that the design software does not know that on its own, so the load schedule is checked by hand. And if the light fixtures are changing too, often to LED, the module for each circuit is chosen for the new load, not the old one.
The keypads: the one wiring question
The keypads on a LiteTouch system run on four-conductor wire that is neither twisted nor shielded. Lutron’s wired keypads need a twisted, shielded pair for communication and a separate pair for power. So Lutron does not recommend the old keypad wire for its wired keypads, and gives two choices:
- Run new keypad wire and install Lutron wired keypads.
- Install Lutron wireless keypads in the same wall boxes, powered over the existing LiteTouch wire from a low-voltage power supply, with a Lutron repeater carrying the radio link back to the processor.
Which one fits depends on the house: how easy the walls are to fish, how many keypads there are, and how long the runs are. We decide it keypad by keypad during the assessment.
Why the keypads go too
Owners often ask to keep the keypads and change only the panel. Lutron’s application note is clear that its warranty applies only when every existing LiteTouch power module and every keypad is replaced, and the installation follows the note exactly. We follow it. What carries over is the layout: every keypad location, and what each button did, are written into the new design, so the change is to the hardware and not to how your family uses the house.
The note was written for Lutron HomeWorks QS, the generation before today’s HomeWorks QSX, so the exact processor and keypad models are confirmed on the design. (HomeWorks or RadioRA 3, if the house is smaller.)
How a replacement runs with us
- A no-cost on-site assessment. Every panel and module, every keypad location, the keypad wire, and the fixtures on each circuit.
- A design from Lutron’s cross-reference: modules, panels, processor, and a keypad plan with wired or wireless decided per location.
- A fixed price from that design.
- The change-over, panel first, then keypads, then programming and scenes.
- Support afterward, on a system Lutron still makes.
Our Lutron service page covers older Lutron systems as well. What drives the cost of a HomeWorks project is in the Lutron HomeWorks cost guide, and the system you would be moving to is on our Lutron HomeWorks page.
About IntegrateIT. We have integrated hundreds of homes across the Kansas City metro since 2021, from our showroom in Overland Park. Lutron Certified Dealer, HomeWorks Certified and Ketra Certified · Control4 Platinum Dealer with a Control4 Certified Showroom · Crestron dealer · Josh.ai dealer.
Daniel Alon, co-founder, IntegrateIT. Overland Park, KS. November 2026.
Further reading
Where to go next if this article gave you the framework but you want the brand- or install-specific depth.
- Service: Lutron service · Kansas CityOlder Lutron systems, takeovers and upgrades.→
- Lutron HomeWorks · Kansas CityThe system a LiteTouch house moves to.→
- Cost guide: Lutron HomeWorksWhat drives the number on a HomeWorks project.→
- Service: system takeoverSystems another company installed, on every platform we support.→
- Our warrantyFive years of workmanship from the final invoice.→
LiteTouch in the house?
Book a no-cost on-site assessment. We look at every panel and keypad, then design the change-over.
Call (913) 804-7575 Text a photo of the panel Book the assessment
Questions
Questions we hear
How do I replace a LiteTouch lighting system?
Lutron publishes a retrofit path onto Lutron HomeWorks. The LiteTouch modules in the panel are replaced with Lutron power modules, either in a new Lutron panel or on a Lutron subplate inside the existing enclosure, and the keypads are replaced. The load wiring to your lights stays where it is.
Do I have to open the walls to replace LiteTouch?
Usually not. Lutron describes its retrofit as a way to replace LiteTouch without an infrastructure overhaul. The keypad wire is the one question: Lutron does not recommend the old LiteTouch keypad wire for its wired keypads, so either new wire is run or Lutron’s wireless keypads are powered over the wire that is already there.
Can I keep the old keypads from my LiteTouch system and just change the panel?
Not under Lutron’s warranty. Lutron’s application note says every existing LiteTouch power module and keypad has to be replaced for warranty coverage. The keypad locations and what each button did are carried into the new design.
Is the Lutron retrofit for LiteTouch UL listed?
Yes. Lutron publishes it as a UL listed retrofit solution, in its Application Note #719. Lutron says the retrofit keeps an installation within its UL listing and the electrical code when its instructions are followed exactly, in newer and older LiteTouch enclosures alike.
Can I switch to LED lights at the same time?
Yes, and it changes the module choice. Lutron notes that when the lighting is also upgraded, a different power module may be needed for the new load type, and that LED dimming should be checked with Lutron’s LED selection tool. We check each fixture before the modules are ordered.
Who replaces LiteTouch lighting in Kansas City?
IntegrateIT, in Overland Park, KS, is a Lutron Certified Dealer, HomeWorks Certified. We replace older lighting control with Lutron HomeWorks across the Kansas City metro. Call or text (913) 804-7575 to book a no-cost on-site assessment of your panels and keypads.
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