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Dimmers today come in many styles and control many different types of loads.
New dimming systems offer convenience and flexibility.
The main feature of newer dimmers is the ability to offer "presets". This allows the user to set the light level to where they want it and then use a single control to turn the light to the preset level. This is a real convenience, allowing the creation of different moods, or scenes at the touch of a button. It also saves wear and tear on the dimmer. This preset concept can get quite elaborate, with master controllers operating multiple remote switches in more than one room. This allows for the creation of "scenes" for purposes ranging from entertaining to security. Several companies have products that allow for control of the entire house from a few locations. These products generally offer local override control from any room or zone. Most manufacturers offer 3-way controls (i.e., two devices that control one load or zone) but not all allow dimming at both locations.
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Dimming influences maintenance costs.
Most of the better dimmers have a "soft start" feature that ramps up power to the lamp over a period of a few milliseconds, instead of closing the circuit to the filament instantly. This feature lengthens lamp life. Some of the more sophisticated systems have fade on and off times that can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. For incandescent loads, this prevents a shock to the filament and prolongs lamp life. Dimming an incandescent lamp by 10% will more than double the lamp life. A common misunderstanding is that dimming saves power. While some energy is saved, it's not as much as you may think. For example, if you dim an incandescent lamp to 50% you are still using about 75% of the power. Dimming fluorescent lamps does not extend lamp life.
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