Dimmer switches can create a good ambiance in dinning room or a home theater. Installing them is also not a cumbersome task. But before purchasing it, you should have a basic knowledge regarding them.

First fact about dimmer switches is that they can operate 120V incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs but can not operate fluorescent bulbs and most compact fluorescent bulbs.

Dimmer switches can generally operate those bulbs that have wire filaments. This is present in 120V incandescent and halogen bulbs, therefore they can be operated using dimmer switches. On contrary, fluorescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs have certain gas that needs some voltage for its operation. In case the halogen bulb have very less voltage then different dimmer switches are required.

Two different kinds of dimmer switches are: single pole and 3-way dimmer switches. A single pole dimmer switch can be operated from a single location or single switch. A 3-way dimmer switch can be operated from two different switches located at different locations but out of two, only one is dimmer switch.

Earlier dimmer switch technology worked on the principal of controlling the voltage to the light fixture. As the dimmer switch was turned up or down, the voltage supplied to the light fixture was also elevated up or down according to it. They generally used a rheostat to vary the voltage of the light and this was highly energy inefficient.

But now, TRIAC are used to operate the dimmer switches. TRIAC can efficiently and quickly power on or power off a light bulb. This frequency is so high that no one can detect when the bulb was off.

As light is turned off for a portion of time using these TRIAC based dimmer switches, dramatic energy can be saved by them. In addition to this, life of the light bulb is also significantly extended. For example, if the bulb is dimmed to 50% of its output, it will save near around 40% in energy costs and can extend the life of the bulb up to 5-20 times depending upon the bulb type.

Dimmer switches are one among the excellent accessories that can beautify your dining room, living room and especially a home theater room.

Scott Rodgers is a writer with great experience in electricians work all across the nation. His exemplary guidance has generated business opportunities for a lot many Grove City Electricians (Need one? click here!) and Fort Washington Electricians (Need one? click here!).