At Sparks Electrical we sell both dimming systems and switching systems, so to speak about this matter it's not an easy thing to do. Both the switches and the dimmers are very useful, and they have particular applications where they are used.
In some places, you can't use a dimming system, while in other applications the most recommended system is a dimming system. Let us explore this matter together.
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Switching System
The most popular way to control the lighting, ventilation, and heating at home is with a switch. Everyone knows what a switch is, and whenever you enter a dark room you reach out to switch ON the light - it's a switch that you expect to touch!
Today lighting accounts for up to 20% of a household's yearly electricity consumption, and in commercial buildings, up to 40%. It is good to make sure that you save energy, no matter what your preference for the looks of your switch are....
Some of the advantages of a switching system are: it is simple and clear, you don't have to worry about the light being ON when you turn it OFF, it is standard, and it allows you to turn the lights completely OFF or ON by a click of a switch.
Some of the disadvantages are that they can't be remotely controlled (inconvenience), they can't lower the light intensity (can't dim), and if you forget the lights ON, precious electricity goes to waste (our experience tells us we have forgot the lights ON too many times).
As we are all endeavoring to save energy both in the domestic and commercial environments, the switching systems are becoming more of a problem than a solution.
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Dimming System
The dimming systems are of many kinds, but in general, they help you dim the lights anywhere between 0 and 99 percent. In other words, you can dim the lights in the living room, the bedroom, the kitchen, the office, etc. so as to not have a full bright light but a softer light, even creating a warm and cosy atmosphere for certain occasions...
And with the Lutron Grafik Eye 3000 and Grafik QS (read more about them here and here), you have control both over the blinds and the lights, enabling you to create the atmosphere you desire in your own home or office!
Some of the advantages of the dimming systems are:
- Dimming the lights can help the light bulbs last longer.
- You can save energy by a simple dimming of the lights, even though human eye can't notice the luminosity has decreased.
- Helps you set the mood in the room according to the occasion.
- Allows you to control more than one light fitting and enables you to "set scenes" for your daily routine or special occasions.
- Can function as a switch or as a dimmer, as needed.
Dimming Systems vs. Switching Systems
In conclusion, the dimming systems are not only good for your comfort and satisfaction, but they also help you save energy. If you talk about the dimmer switches from Heritage Brass or Forbes and Lomax, they allow you to dim the light from the wall dimmer.But if you install the Lutron Dimming Systems, the benefits are exponentially increased, from the control of sets of lights to the preset scenes for the daily activities and the scheduling of the light scenes in the home/office as needed! You will no longer have to worry about switching ON or OFF the lights: it's all memorized in the Lutron control panel, and it works by itself as preset!
