Dimmer switches have been around for almost as long as light globes. It was obvious to electricity users very early on that being able to control the level of light a bulb provides would be very useful and with this demand the technology was quickly born.

We all know what it’s like when you get up in the middle of the night in pitch darkness and turn on a light that does not have a dimmer. The light turns on, illuminating the darkness, at full brilliance and is almost blinding to your eyes.

Dimmers work by turning off the electricity and then turning it back on hundreds of times a second. This way the light globe is only receiving power for a fraction of the time and this results in a less bright globe. You can’t see the flashing of the electricity turning on and off but if you listen closely you can hear it within some of the older style dimmers. The result of a correctly installed dimmer is a light level that is perfect for your requirements, be it fully bright when looking for a dropped pin, or as dim as possible when nature calls in the middle of the night.