If you plan on buying dimmable LED it is worth checking their compatibility with your existing dimmer switches. Dimming an LED Bulb is not as simple as dimming a halogen bulb where a simple change in voltage will suffice. Rather, the dimmer switch has to compensate for their constant current and low wattage.
The first thing to remember is that there are two main types of dimmer switch; leading edge, also known as triac dimmers, and trailing edge. These switches are not interchangeable. The internal driver on LED Bulbs require a trailing edge dimmer switch in order to work.
Standard dimmer switches are designed to operate with relatively high loads, typically between 40 and 200 watts. In order to function correctly the circuit load, the combined wattage of all the bulbs on the dimmable circuit, must meet the minimum load stated on the dimmer switch. The circuit load can be calculated by multiplying the number of bulbs on the circuit by the individual wattage of each bulb. If the resulting figure is less than the minimum load on the dimmer switch you run the risk of under-loading it, which may cause problems such as limited dimmability and flickering.
While halogen bulbs, which use about 50 watts each, have no problem achieving the minimum load on a dimmer switch (the major concern here is overloading), it can take several LED Bulbs before the minimum load is reached. This might not be a problem if you are running ten or more light bulbs on the same circuit, but if you are using less you will need a low load dimmer switch.
Low Load Dimmer Switches are designed to compensate for the low energy requirements of LEDs. As the name suggests they have a much lower minimum load than standard dimmer switches allowing them to run fewer dimmable LED Bulbs on a single circuit.
Most dimmer switches are designed with an in-built micro-processor that offers protection against overloading. This means that if you mistakenly connect too many bulbs or transformers to your switch it will protect itself by automatically dimming the lights or by shutting down altogether.
Choosing the Correct Number of LED Downlights
While a single downlight can be used to create a focal point within a room, several or more downlights are needed to provide enough illumination to light an entire room. The question is, how many are needed?
The Pros and Cons of LED Lighting
The lighting industry landscape has been undergoing somewhat of a renaissance of late. The energy guzzling incandescent bulb, which has been around since the late nineteenth century,
Some Advantages of LED Strip Lights
LED Strip Lights offer a number of advantages over more traditional luminaires, such as incandescent, halogen and fluorescent.
