Every little thing accumulates and becomes more impactful over a long period. This applies to a lot of things in life, including electricity savings. Even the smallest efforts of saving energy will net a significant decrease after months or years of repeated efforts. One of the best examples is installing a light dimmer into your system.
How Do Light Dimmers Work?
The way light dimmers work is pretty much straightforward: the device will reduce the electricity that flows toward the bulb from the main power. This is done by cutting the circulating electricity on and off as fast as 120 times a second. You can compare it to flicking the lights on and off too fast, so the changes are not noticed by the human eye.
Light dimmers have been existing as an attachment to an electrical system since 1896 when Granville Woods reduce the energy being generated on stage lighting. Modern dimmers have since been scaled down, safer, cheaper, and more compatible with electrical most systems.
Although dimmers are commonly utilized to set the mood of the room, they can also reduce energy consumption. In addition, it makes the bulb’s lifespan longer due to less strain in the filaments where electricity passes.
Is It Worth It?
Do light dimmers save energy? Absolutely! But is it worth the price and the time to install and use the device? It really depends on what type of bulb you’re using. Modern light sources such as LED, Halogen, and CFLs work wonders and can maximize your electricity savings.
If you’re using a modern electrical component, even the energy-efficient LED lights will benefit when a dimmer is added. It is a good example of how to maximize the utility of a light dimmer without getting unnecessary effects.
However, this is not the case for older light sources and systems. Avoid using legacy dimmers for incandescent light bulbs. The way legacy dimmers work is by converting the electricity into heat instead of straight-up reducing the consumption.
For those who want to dim their bulbs for more than 8 hours a day (or 24/7), you might as well use a bulb with low wattage. These bulbs consume lower voltages without the need to slow down the electric current. Take note that these bulbs are smaller and dimmer in design, so avoid using them in places that require optimal lighting.
Automatic Light Dimmers
To get the best effect out of a light dimmer, you might want to consider using an automated system. These dimmers have sensors that detect motions to determine whether the room has activities or not. It will automatically dim or turn off the lights if there are little to no activities happening across the room.
Automatic Light Dimmers are great if you’re the type of person that forgets to manually set up the light dimmer. The best sensors can detect movements for 900 square feet. Its also easily installable and can replace any existing switch on a home with modern electrical components.