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Who are you? · 08-29-2009, 10:14 PM

There are several types of dimmers, the oldest ones use a resistor that gets hot instead of the light getting the current, but that type doesn't save any energy, so they aren't used anymore. There are also dimmers that cut out part of the waveform of the current, these do save a lot of power, are easy to manufacture, but don't work well for CFLs (flicker and shortened life), a dimmer that works with CFLs requires more advanced electronics, and thus is a lot more expensive, and they will be specifically marketed for being CFL compatible. These are still cheaper in the long run than buying CFLs that can be dimmed with distorted waveforms.

08-29-2009, 10:14 PM	#42
Who are you? Groupie Posts: 184 Karma: 300001 Join Date: May 2009 Device: 505	There are several types of dimmers, the oldest ones use a resistor that gets hot instead of the light getting the current, but that type doesn't save any energy, so they aren't used anymore. There are also dimmers that cut out part of the waveform of the current, these do save a lot of power, are easy to manufacture, but don't work well for CFLs (flicker and shortened life), a dimmer that works with CFLs requires more advanced electronics, and thus is a lot more expensive, and they will be specifically marketed for being CFL compatible. These are still cheaper in the long run than buying CFLs that can be dimmed with distorted waveforms.