Replace that old switch with a dimmer
12. May, 2009 
3 Comments
Like I have said before I really try and tackle the simple ways of reducing my energy use. If you have an idea for me please let me know!
This idea is something that EVERYONE (well you can decide if you are capable) can do themselves and is very affordable.
Do you have a room in your house where you feel you just can’t give up your incandescent light bulbs? I have this problem in a couple rooms of my house where I just need a little extra light or for some strange reason feel more comfortable with the incandescent bulbs (call me old fashioned). The problem is that these bulbs do use quite a bit more power than their fluorescence counterparts. This is the problem with incandescent bulbs but there is a quick way to reduce the amount of power needed for these types of bulbs. You can also dim fluorescence bulbs but they need to be marked dimmable on the packaging.
Installing a dimmer. Simple, right? Well it actually is and it will only cost you around twenty bucks for the actual dimmer and you probably have the tools around the house for the install. The only tool you may be lacking is a voltage tester but these are very affordable and can be used for many applications around the house. While there is a minimal up-front cost for this project you should see a savings on your monthly bill. Report back and let me know if you can see a monthly savings.
How to install a dimmer switch video:
What you may need:
Dimmer
Circuit Tester
Hi, nice posts there
hold responsible’s for the intriguing advice
If a light is too bright and you wish to keep bulbs, put in some with smaller wattage. Much faster return on investment than with energy savings from a dimmer, which are much less than commonly thought. This is because the lower the power setting the greater the part of it the incandescent wastes as heat.
Good Point. I guess this should be included in the article. I personally like dimmers because it gives you the option of changing the brightness of the bulbs without changing the bulbs. I do understand though in some applications this would never really be the case and just changing the wattage would do the trick.