Using a dimmer for the lighting in your home or office can set the tone for the day as well as reflect your mood. It can be beneficial to have dimmers in place to turn back the lighting when watching a movie at home or when presenting a video at work. With dimming systems, there are so many to choose from on the market today including what type of bulb to use. In the past, there were only two options but now with the advancements in technology, consumers have many more options when it comes to lighting systems.
To begin, you will need to choose the type of lighting technology you will use. In the past, consumers could only choose from Incandescent or Halogen bulbs. These options do work well but do not provide energy savings that most consumers are looking for. A common choice for consumers today with dimmer lighting that includes energy savings is compact fluorescent lights or CFLs. CFL technology has improved over the years and will last longer, using less energy than incandescent lighting.
CFLs can be purchased in several light bulb types including spiral shapes, R20, R30 and 440. These bulbs can be placed in recessed lighting or other areas that are connected to your dimming system.
Another option that works best for dimmer lighting is Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs. LED light bulbs are energy-efficient and work well for dimming systems. Most bulbs have life spans of 25,000 to 50,000 hours and wattage will be a much lower range than what is found in halogen and incandescent bulbs. With LED lighting, you have the option to dim lamps from 100% to 0.5%, depending on the system used.
When choosing a dimming system, you will want to look at the specifications and instructions to see what type of bulbs are recommended as well as how to properly install the system. You will most likely benefit from having the dimming system installed by the professionals. With electrical experts on site, your new system will be installed in no time and you will be able to enjoy the benefits of dimmable lighting.
Going with LED or CFLs will ensure that you will use less energy and bulbs will last for an extended period of time. You will not have to worry about replacing bulbs and can enjoy the lighting in your home or office at full power or dimmed according to your needs.
Visit your local hardware store or department store to see setups of dimmer systems, trying the systems first hand to see how they look. With so many options to choose from, it is best to see how the lights work for the first hand so that you can find the right dimming option for your home. Consider a single location or multi-location dimmer system based on your lighting needs. Take a look at switch options, from paddle and toggle to tap to see which option would work best for your installation.