If you have ever researched ways to make your home more energy efficient, you might have stumbled upon dimmer switches. As their name suggests, dimmer switches allow you to dim your lights and give you complete control over the brightness and energy draw of your light fixtures. However, these simple tools bring many more benefits than most realize. Read on to learn how installing dimmer switches can make a marked improvement in every aspect of your home.
What Are Dimmer Switches?
Most people are familiar with dimmer switches even if they do not have them in their own homes. Dimmer switches allow homeowners to control the amount of energy flowing into their light fixtures, as opposed to the all-or-nothing approach of standard light switches. Through this process, you can control the intensity and brightness of the light.
The most common types of dimmer switches are controlled through a knob. Turning the knob increases or decreases the electrical flow to the light fixture, allowing you to pinpoint the perfect amount of light given your circumstance. Other types of dimmer switches are controlled through vertical sliders or touchpad devices but work the same.
Dimmer Switch Benefits
The main benefit that most associate with dimmer switches is their energy-saving abilities. Naturally, if you consistently place the light levels at lower levels than a standard switch, you will have energy savings over time. However, this does not take into account all of the reasons why you might want to dim the lights in the first place. Instead of being a sacrifice you make to save energy, utilizing dimmer lights is extremely helpful in a handful of everyday situations.
A dim light is useful whenever a very bright light is unnecessary. This situation often occurs in the early morning or late evening. Waking up and starting your daily routine in the bathroom is much more enjoyable if you ease into the day with a half-strength light fixture. On the same token, an early morning trip to the kitchen to prepare breakfast can quickly become a light show, as most kitchen light switches control many lights simultaneously. These situations also affect your family members, who can be woken up by excessively bright lights finding their way into bedroom entrances. Dimmer switches ensure the light is localized and only powerful enough to accomplish the given task.
Dimmer switches can also help with lifestyle changes, particularly regarding sleep patterns. Often at night, there are activities you want to do that require light. However, being surrounded by bright lights immediately prior to bedtime has been shown to hamper the body’s ability to produce sleep-inducing chemicals. By using dimmer lights, you can take advantage of a certain amount of light to socialize or do activities while still preparing your body for a good night’s rest.
These types of switches come with certain considerations for the homeowner. To start, not all bulbs can be dimmed. If you want to take advantage of this technology, you may need to replace your older bulbs. On the plus side, these newer bulbs will likely be more efficient and cost-effective than any old ones still in your house. Dimmer switch installation can also become complicated when dealing with a large system. Single installations in bathrooms, for example, might be possible for the handy homeowner, but upgrading an entire room might be difficult.
If you are unfamiliar with electrical systems but would love to upgrade your home, call Promise Electric – one of Sarasota’s premier residential and commercial electrical services companies.
