[thom]

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out what options there are for dimmers where low energy CFL bulbs are being used. I've seen that a company called "megaman" makes dimmable CFL bulbs and that rako has a dimmer specifically made for them, but are there any other manufacturers that make either CFL bulbs that work with dimmers and/or dimmers that support CFL bulbs?

Hope that makes sense
cheers
--
Thom

[wywywywy]

Yes. Varilight.
Dimmer Switches, Switches, Sockets, Dimmable Energy Saving Lamps
Available from B&Q etc.

Both Megaman and Varilight support commonly used "low-tech" dimmers.
But might not work with expensive "hi-tech" dimmers

[gtg60]

I know it's not what you're asking but after struggling to get any satisfaction with CFL and my remote dimmers I discovered the new Halogen energy saving bulbs, 30% less electricity usage and work perfect in all my dimmers. (And less ugly than 99% of CFL's)

[wywywywy]

A small caveat with dimmable CFL bulbs - when switching on, the brightness needs to be 100% for a minute or two to warm up the bulbs, before you can start dimming them. Quite annoying sometimes.

[thom]

Thanks for the advice guys, sounds like CFLs are more trouble than they're worth! Will check out the Halogens too.

Cheers

[vex]

Originally Posted by thom

Thanks for the advice guys, sounds like CFLs are more trouble than they're worth! Will check out the Halogens too.

Cheers

Nail - meet Mr Hammer!

Megamans and CFL's in general are a pain in the arse. Have you considered using ordinary bulbs but only dimming them to a max of 80%?

I would put money on the fact you will not see a difference in light level.

V.

[neilball]

I'll second the recommendation for the new halogen versions of GLS lamps, I've replaced all of my dimmable CFLs with these as the CFLs (all Varilight in my case) just don't have the same smooth effect when used in a scene-setting system. The halogens give me back the smooth fully-dimmable control I was looking for and are not too expensive (they even stock them in my local Tesco). You can also get high-efficiency GU10 & MR16 lamps for downlighter applications which again are 30% more efficient than standard halogens so can help reduce power and heat without compromising the controllability.

[thom]

Thanks again. The low energy halogen GLS bulbs seem like the way to go to me. I'd never come across them before, so thanks for the heads up.

cheers
--
thom

[zcapr17]

I too have wrestling with the options for dimming energy saving bulbs. I have pretty much decided that I want to install a Rako system for full scene-based lighting control but the difficult part is choosing the right bulb/dimmer combination in light (no pun intended) of the recent EU legislation.

My problem is that I will be using open drum lamp shades which mean that the bulbs will be in direct view. I therefore want a diffuse / frosted bulb. I also want 100 Watt equivalent bulbs (anything less is just too dim).


Options I have considered are:

• Traditional 100W incandescent bulbs but these are banned and now in short supply.
• 70W halogen GLS style bulbs (as discussed above). These looked like the best solution until I discovered that the frosted versions of these have also been banned. Additionally, it is my understanding that all halogen bulbs will be gradually phased out (banned) between now and 2013 and I don't want to invest in all the Rako gear only to find that I can't get compatible bulbs only a few years down the road and have to change the dimmer units.
• Megaman "Dimmerable" CFLs controlled by the Rako "RDL500 CFL" dimmer. The problem with this option however is that Megaman don't actually make any 20W dimmerable bulbs.
• Other manufacturer's 20W Dimmable CFLs, but I don't know which Rako dimmer to use?

neilball and gtg60, can I ask you both what model of dimmers you were using with your dimmable CFLs?

Also, does anyone have specific experience of using the Rako "RDL500 CFL" dimmer, either with Megaman "Dimmerable" CFLs another manufacturer's dimmable CFLs?

Many Thanks,

z

[wywywywy]

There are now dimmable GU10 LED downlights available for reasonable-ish prices, in case anyone is interested.

[neilball]

Originally Posted by zcapr17

neilball and gtg60, can I ask you both what model of dimmers you were using with your dimmable CFLs?

I have Helvar Digidim at home using the Digidim 452 universal dimmer modules.