LED DESIGN FORUM: Controlling consumers' expectations of LED lighting: why dimming is so important (MAGAZINE)

The US Census Bureau estimated that there are over 75 million owner-occupied homes (2007) and almost 5 million commercial buildings (2003) in the United States. Many of these buildings, both commercial and residential, already have dimmers installed. These existing dimmers are controlling a multitude of light sources, from incandescent to fluorescent and now LEDs, which is why the capacity to dim must be designed into an LED product from the beginning. Consumers, professionals, teachers and occupants expect to have control of their lights, and LEDs must meet this expectation if LED lighting solutions are going to succeed.

Why dim?
The story of why to dim your lights has been around for a long time, and many people know that lighting controls can improve personal comfort, increase occupant productivity, extend luminaire lifetime and save energy. However, with the introduction of new lighting technologies it seems that this story is often forgotten, at least until the market is full of disgruntled consumers and building occupants.

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This article was published in the April 2009 issue of LEDs Magazine.

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