The energy saving power of lighting has quickly grown over the years, and still is to this day. In the commercial and industrial lighting space, a lot of companies are making the switch over from older technology lighting fixtures like metal halide and other HID lights over to LED fixtures.

On top of the energy savings LED can bring over older types of lights, commercial dimmers can yield even great energy reduction and thus a greater reduction in your facilities utility bills month to month.

So what is a dimmer, do dimmers save energy, and should I use a dimmer switch? Let’s find out!

A dimmer switch for LED lights gives you the control through a simple panel to change the amount of light that a lighting fixture (or fixtures) produces. You can dim lights as low as you so desire or as high as your light was designed to allow.

By having a commercial dimmer switch at your disposal, you can change the lights to match the mood, atmosphere, or even time of day to your needs and facilities guidelines.

Now onto the question you’ve all been waiting for, do commercial dimmer switches save energy?

The short answer is yes, dimmer switches do save you energy. But let’s discuss the history of dimmer switches and how far they have came.

Back in the day LED dimmer switches did not reduce energy because of the way they worked. Instead of reducing the amount of energy being used, they simply converted the energy not being used into heat instead of full illumination capability of the light bulb. Nowadays, dimmer switches for LED lights work by actually reducing energy used and only uses enough energy that it needs to power the light bulb at the setting of your dimmer.

Some of today’s dimmer switches use something called a “Triac Switch.” This Triac Switch works by cutting off power to the light fixture up to 120 times (variable) per second. Thus, the human eyes cannot detect a flickering and just see’s a constant flow of light. But while triac switches are used for smaller bulbs, bigger lighting fixtures use something called a send us a message and we will for sure help you out with that decision!

If you’re thinking of installing solar panels for your home, you’re probably doing a lot of research to see what the costs and your options are. There is a lot to get up to speed on, so let’s start with what solar panels cost.

Solar panels have been steadily dropping in price, due to more efficient manufacturing and increased popularity. Currently, they are at an all time low, and the cost of a solar panel is around $5 per watt of output. A quick look at your monthly electric bill should help you figure out what you need, in terms of power.

That’s just part of the equation though. The main reason for installing solar panels is to save money on electricity. Depending on where you live, you may be able to make some money by selling excess electricity back to the grid. Rates vary for this, so be sure to investigate the options fully.

Buying solar panels appears to be a big investment, but most people find that they are able to pay them off in under ten years, and sometimes faster. There is a complex mix of factors that determines that timeline, including your power consumption.

There are federal tax credits available for people purchasing solar panels, and usually work out to the tune of 30 percent of the purchase price of the system, including converters and batteries. That’s a significant incentive. Between the tax credit, selling energy, and the long-term promise of energy independence, there has never been a better time to get solar panels.

Of course, it’s all a little overwhelming. What you need is someone who is familiar with the territory to walk you through all the steps. The Electric Connection has the experience and the connections to get you started on the path to energy independence. Give us a call today to get the process started.

These systems are still expensive compared to the conventional electric generating plants such as hydro. And since they only generate power during the day, batteries or other storage systems are required to ensure power availability during the night or times when the conversion is low. This means spending more on batteries, which are currently the most popular storage devices.

Another limitation is the intermittent nature of light, making the energy unsuitable for some applications.

Space limitations may influence the maximum power that a consumer can generate. The cheaper panels have a lower conversion rate and require larger areas. However, customers may overcome this by using the more expensive but higher efficiency panels which require less space.

Improved photovoltaic technology, mass production and lower installation costs have seen the cost of photovoltaic systems and components such as batteries fall rapidly. Incentives such as financing, rebates, and wide acceptance by homeowners have influenced the use of the photovoltaic cells.