Dimmer Switches
Turn down and turn on the environmental benefits
of dimming
Andrew Wilson, Commercial Manager at Varilight, explains how installing dimmer switches can save energy and make a positive impact on the environment.
government to achieve a carbon neutral economy by 2050, but some existing technologies, including relatively simple devices, such as the dimmer switch, already offer energy-saving opportunities and wider environmental benefits that are not yet being fully exploited. It is not always appreciated that simply turning down the lights not only saves energy but also turns on a number of other environmental benefits. By providing installers with the information they need to educate their clients on the benefits of upgrading from a simple switch installation to one including dimmer switches, wholesalers have the opportunity to up-sell to products with a higher value.
N
ew and innovative technologies will no doubt be required to help the UK meet the new commitment from the
Turn Down and Save Energy At a basic level, simply using a dimmer to turn the lights down saves energy and therefore money on energy bills. When the energy-saving benefits of a dimmer are combined with the inherent energy-efficiency of LED lighting, a real difference can be made. Furthermore, unlike halogen loads where a fairly high proportion of the energy is lost as heat when a lamp is dimmed, with dimmable LED lighting the relationship between the level of dimming and the energy saved is close to linear. So, if you dim an LED light to half brightness then you are saving virtually 50% of the energy used at full brightness. With this in mind, wholesalers will be keen to
find a reliable dimming solution because dimmable LED lighting can be difficult to dim successfully. At Varilight we have spent the past seven years perfecting our V-Pro dimmer series to
14 | electrical wholesalerSeptember 2019 Lighting Edition
make it the most widely compatible dimmer on the market, with smooth dimming “out of the box” and a host of features to fine tune the performance of difficult loads.
Maximum Savings To make sure that spaces are adequately lit, sometimes too much lighting is specified at the planning stage of a new project with, for example, more downlights installed than are really required even in working spaces such as kitchens. It might be necessary for work surfaces to be brightly lit but a more pleasant environment can be created by limiting the brightness of the lights in other areas to create a more intimate atmosphere. The most sophisticated LED dimmers include an option to limit the maximum brightness that the dimmer will allow the lights to reach. This
ewnews.co.uk
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