Save Energy With Dimmer Switches
Save Energy With Dimmer Switches
Energy efficiency is an important topic in the world today. The United States consumes more electricity than most of the other nations in the world. We install many lighting fixtures in our homes and use them to their full advantage. Lighting accounts for an average of 20% of a household’s total costs. Unfortunately electricity usage is costly and has a negative impact on our environment. The processes used to create electricity emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to pollution. There are simple ways to reduce household lighting usage though. One easy fix for energy conservation is to install a dimmer switch into your home.
You may not realize the benefits of a dimmer switch. Dimming the lights enhances the mood of a room and provides better viewing light for movie-watching, but did you know dimmer switches save energy? A dimmer switch actually interrupts the current flowing to your lights, and helps to conserve electricity.
A dimmer switch works by preventing current from flowing to the light bulb filament. The filament is the metal wire inside of light bulbs. When the filament is heated by electrical current, light is emitted. When a dimmer switched is used, the current is interrupted, the amount of power flowing to the filament is decreased and less light is produced. As more lights in a household are connected to a dimmer switch, the energy saved increases. Furthermore, the lower the lights are dimmed, more energy is conserved.
According to Lutron, a leading dimmer switch provider, if every household in the U.S. installed a dimmer switch, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced in an amount equivalent to the energy used by 370,000 cars. Dimmer switches are relatively easy to install as well, often taking less than 15 minutes. Halogen and incandescent lights are both compatible with dimmer switches. So, the addition of a dimmer switch into a house is energy efficient and convenient.
Chapman Electric is a supplier of electrical industry supplies, tools and equipment. The company offers dimmer switches along with a variety of other products such as Quazite vaults, Klein tools and underground utility supplies . View the complete Chapman Electric product catalog online.