Dimming It Down With Dimmers

Americans buy about 2 billion light bulbs every year, and as of October 2007, about 85% of those were incandescent bulbs, according to the Vermont Environmental Consortium.

Of course, that percentage is going to drop a bit every year as lighting manufacturers are now producing fixtures that, for the most part, require compact fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs consume dramatically less energy than incandescent lamps. A 13-watt CFL, for example, will provide about the same illumination as a standard 60-watt bulb.   

Switching out your bulbs isn't the only way to lighten the energy load. A dimmer on your lighting is another energy-saving option.  Similar to a valve on your faucet, the dimmer controls the electricity flow. 

Using dimmers is a smart way to make lighting energy efficient without replacing every fixture in a house with a CFL model.  In combination with CFLs and incandescents, you can greatly reduce your utility bills, maintain an aesthetically pleasing lighting ambience, and diminish your carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere.