LED Lighting in the home is becoming more popular due to the energy and money saving benefits it offers over traditional halogen lighting. One of the most common problems that an electrician faces when installing LED’s is enabling them to dim. Unfortunately, there is NO definitive rule that can be followed when dimming LED, due to the vast amount of types and brands available.
LED drivers can show considerable variation from one product to the next. In addition, the LED’s themselves react very quickly to changes in current, so even a slight incompatibility with the dimmer and/or the transformer can significantly affect the dimming capabilities.
The difficulty is only compounded by a lack of industry-wide dimming standards. For example, even the term “dimmable” has no universally accepted definition.
In fact the only thing that is consistent when it comes to dimming LED’s is that every control solution on the market faces the same problem.
The Environexus range includes two types of dimming technologies, both Leading and Trailing Edge.
We would always try to recommend a LED that is compatible with Leading Edge dimming as we can monitor the energy consumption.
We are constantly working with Lighting suppliers to put together a compatibility list that will assist in retro-fit applications, however, there are a few steps you can follow to avoid dimming issues on site:
- Ascertain if the light fixture is actually capable of being dimmed. In some cases, this may be as easy as checking the specifications, but it is always advised that you try to manually dim before introducing any electronic dimmers.
- Always run a test on a single light with both leading and trailing edge before proceeding to change over switches. By taking 10 minutes to drop out a downlight for testing, you may save your self an entire day of work.
- Check our online compatibility list which will be updated regularly with new models and brands.