Summer has come and gone but it is far from being a distant memory. For those who have ever made the mistake of stepping outside on a bright, blinding summer day without sunglasses, it is easy to understand why it’s so important to have control over those lights that affect the senses.

The point is only strengthened for those who have ever been unlucky enough to experience a debilitating and painful migraine, where it is impossible to consider being anywhere except a dark bedroom with a cool washcloth on your face.

Lighting controls are a relatively simple concept, especially when it comes to dimmers, but the benefits they can provide for a commercial environment or office space are substantial.

With that in mind, here are a number of reasons lighting controls should not be overlooked when developing an efficient and environmentally friendly solution for your home or business:

• Dimmers offer significant energy savings. This may seem like a no-brainer, but when you consider that, even when set at the highest possible level, a dimmer switch delivers four to nine percent in savings when compared to a traditional switch, it really makes you stop and think. Dimmers have been around for a long time and they are easy to install. Of course, the savings increase considerably when the lights are dimmed.
• Lighting control delivers added employee satisfaction. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing a lighting solution. What works for one person might have a negative impact on another’s ability to be effective or worse, it might just send that star employee home with a migraine. Dimmers in particular are an easy way to provide control, and study after study has shown that this results in happier, more productive employees.
• Dimmers function with a variety of lighting sources. Reasonably priced and typically very simple to install, dimmers work with the majority of bulbs and lighting installations currently available today. Everything from CFL and halogen to fluorescent and LED will work with a dimmer. To give you an idea of the savings that can be achieved by installing a simple dimmer switch, a halogen bulb with an output that is reduced by 35 percent can deliver as much as a 28 percent energy savings.
• Lighting controls can be automated. When an automated lighting control, such as an occupancy sensor, is combined with a dimmer switch, the savings can really add up. There are even automated controls currently available for window shades, which can harness daylight and provide shade on hot days, reducing wear and tear on a building’s HVAC system.
• Bulb life is extended by using dimmers. Since dimmers reduce the amount of power that flows to the bulb or light source, they can actually keep your bulbs working longer – as much as 20 times longer for incandescent bulbs and halogens. Also, dimmers allow LED bulbs to run at a cooler temperature, which can save on energy costs and add to the life of the bulb.

For more information about how to realize a significant cost savings by integrating occupancy sensors and dimmer switches into your business, give me a call at 910-742-7029, or via the email or website addresses listed below.    

Joe Marston is a seasoned entrepreneur and the president of Wilmington Winlectric, a leading distributor of lighting solutions and electrical supplies. Offering reliable guidance and trusted insights, Wilmington Winlectric serves clients in the industrial, commercial, and residential markets. Wilmington Winlectric is a locally-based provider of consultation services as well as lighting solutions, controls and electrical equipment. To find out how Wilmington Winlectric can benefit your business, call 910-790-1909, email [email protected], or visit www.WilmingtonWinlectric.com.