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Name: Jack
Status: Other
Age: Old
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: April 2002
Question:
Does a dimmer switch on a light actually save energy?


Replies:
A dimmer switch allows you to control the amount of current flow to the light bulb. To answer your question you can save energy if you did not want to have your lights ON "full blast". However, you do not get something for nothing. The energy you saved is as a result of the decreased intensity of your lights.

-Darin

Assuming that the dimmer is a "step-down" A. C. transformer, it should reduce the power used. If it is a variable resistor then it would not reduce the power used. I think most dimmers are the transformer type since the resistor would generate a lot of heat due to Ohms Law heating E = i x V.

Vince Calder


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