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Uses and benefits of C.L dimmers

Incandescent bulbs are being phased out gradually and will most probably be phased out almost completely within the next 10 years or so. They are being replaced by CFL and LED bulbs that result in greater energy savings.

However, the flip side is that not all dimmers work with CFL and LED bulbs and these bulbs do not work well with a standard dimmer. To work around this, Lutron has come up with dimmers called C.L dimmers that work with both CFL and LED bulbs that are dimmable. The “C” in C.L stands for CFL and the “L” stands for LED.

While dimmable CFLs and LEDs may work with standard dimmers, the latter are not UL listed (UL LLC is an American worldwide safety consulting and certification company) and so, Lutron does not recommend that you use them. The C.L dimmers are compatible with dimmable CFLs and LEDs, and so are recommended for use with these bulbs.

C.L dimmers are designed and UL listed for controlling not only a broad range of dimmable CFLs and LEDs, but also incandescent and halogen bulbs. These dimmers feature low end trim adjustment as well as high end trim adjustment on select models, thereby ensuring the best dimming performance and range on CFL or LED bulbs.

Dimmers
Lutron C.L dimmer in a bedroom

You can even mix and match light source types on one dimmer. C.L dimmers eliminate some of the problems associated with standard dimmers, such as:

Drop-out: This is when lights turn off before the slider on the dimmer reaches the lowest setting.

Pop-on: This is when lights do not turn on after being dimmed to the lowest setting and only turn on when you move the dimmer slider up.

Lights flickering excessively or turning off: This may happen if there are voltage fluctuations from other household devices, such as air conditioners being turned on.

C.L dimmers prevent these problems by making use of Lutron’s exclusive HED technology. This technology ensures that CFLs and LEDs dim reliably each and every time you turn on the lights. To prevent drop-out or pop-on, C.L dimmers feature an adjustment dial or button-press programming. Using these, you can set the dimming range for the kind of bulb you are dimming. Using HED technology also keeps the lights on during voltage fluctuations.

So now you know all about C.L dimmers that work well with different kinds of bulbs, ranging from incandescent to halogen and from CFLs to LEDs. Use these dimmers and save your energy costs substantially all through the year…

 

 

(Content and Images courtesy: www.lutron.com)