The Value of Dimmer Switches

As a father of two young daughters and in this day and age of energy conservation, dimmer switches offer a high degree of flexibility when it comes to the lighting of your home. Considers a 5-bulb chandelier with each bulb running the equivalent of 40 Watts in your living room or dinning room. Depending on the time of day or perhaps the mood of the moment, having 200 Watts may or may not be necessary. When your little ones are getting read for bed, having the ability lower the lighting can help them settle down as they prepare for bed. Dimmer switches allow you to create a softer, warmer light in any living room or bedroom. Ultimately creating multiple lighting options from one lighting fixture. 

As an example, in our master bedroom, we have an iron chandelier in the center of the room, as well as small 2” pot lights directly over the headboard. Both sets of lights are on their own dimmer switch. This allows for my wife and I to create softer light as to not disrupt one another early in the morning depending on who is first out of bed or to create excellent reading lighting using the pot lights with no need for any other lights on. This creates flexibility in terms of how a room can be utilized in addition to minimizing electrical costs by using the appropriate wattage for the specific need at the time. 

Now buying a dimmer switch is no longer that straight forward. With the move away from incandescent bulbs to either LED or florescent bulbs you need to ensure you purchase the correct dimmer switch for your appropriate circumstances. A miss match between the LED driver voltage and the output voltage of the dimmer switch can either damage the LED bulb or create annoying flickering. Check out this informative article from LUX about what you should know about dimming LED lamps/bulbs. As always, when in doubt consult a certified local electrician or stop by your local electrical store for guidance and advice.

Thanks for stopping by!

Any questions don't hesitate to ask. 

Join us on Facebook @  facebook.com/groups/stridelighting/ to join in on more helpful information, support and discussion on home lighting. 

Visit us at www.stridelighting.com.