If you have installed, supplied, specified or asked for any kind of lighting recently, here’s a fact that may not surprise you – LED is the most popular form of lighting worldwide.

LEDs make up over 70% of all lighting fixtures currently in use, and that figure is only expected to grow in the coming years.

Why? Because businesses and suppliers alike are more conscious of the need for energy-efficient, cost-saving and highly-controllable lighting solutions.

LED is perfectly positioned to deliver these: however, they will only do so if they are paired with the right LED dimming controls.

Getting the most out of your LEDs means choosing dimmers designed specifically to control them – like Zano dimmers. If you are wondering just how much of a difference they can make, read on.

What is a ‘dimmer designed specifically for LED’?

Not every ‘LED dimmer’ is equal. A number of dimmers are ‘compatible’ with LED, but they don’t guarantee the performance of a dimmer designed specifically for LED.

An example of this is a TRIAC dimmer.

Designed to dim incandescent and halogen fittings, TRIAC dimmers are also used in LED dimming.

However, they’re simply not suitable because of the limitations of the copper coil they depend on, which creates severe flicker, buzz and even interference with devices on the same circuit that emit radio signals, especially at the higher loads needed for commercial dimming.

Removing the copper coil and replacing it with a digital microprocessor removes this physical barrier, eliminates the risk of interference when dimming, and unlocks the full benefits of LED.

Top Tip: Using a digital dimmer, rather than a copper coil-based TRIAC dimmer is our first step to dimming LED successfully.

So, what are the benefits of these kinds of LED dimmers?

What are the benefits of LED-specific dimmers?

1) Protect your LED lamps and maximise performance

You may already know that the popularity behind LED fittings is due to their energy efficiency, increased lifespan and lower running costs compared to other luminaires.

However, this performance can be compromised if you pair the fitting(s) with the wrong dimmer: digital dimming makes all the difference.

Using digital dimming technology removes the physical components from LED dimmers that can cause LEDs to flicker (which can be associated with eye strain and fatigue) and buzz (which can cause thermal damage within the circuit if unresolved).

Additionally, LED-specific dimmers (like Zano’s), are designed to work with high loads, and some even use digital technology to automatically adjust the dimmer to the inrush current.

These can help you seamlessly control difficult-to-dim drivers and efficiently dim all sorts of fittings, from single downlights to ‘complex’ lighting configurations. Speaking of these…

2) Dim more lamps and control higher loads
 

As we have mentioned, the limitations of certain dimmers (TRIAC, in particular) are revealed when the load is too low or too high – either adding flicker, buzz, ‘cutting out’ - or simply failing to turn on.

However, even the more advanced LED dimming options on the market can often only dim up to a limited number of lamps – or require complex solutions to control higher loads.

Note: This challenge is common in commercial settings, but it isn’t only here. As more homeowners are able to access lighting options such as LED strip lighting and tape, these more ‘elaborate’ lighting options will require solutions that take the complexity out at the design phase.

This is why technology, such as our ZBARLED remote dimming packs, are such a benefit.

They enable LED dimming of up to 1000W/VA (and greater when wired in parallel) and make dimming ‘difficult-to-dim’ fixtures, such as LED strip lighting, easy and affordable.

This technology makes both retrofit and new design projects seamless, which opens up many more possibilities for electricians, architects and specifiers to deliver previously undeliverable projects. 

3) More control, more personalisation, more projects
 

Last of all, it’s important to remember that the benefits of LED aren’t just in energy-efficiency or cost-saving – LED dimming creates ambiance, and it’s every bit as essential for many clients.

No two lighting projects are the same, and the more versatile your LED lighting controls, the greater the number of projects they can be applied to.

For example:

• This meditation centre needed to dim precisely down to very low levels, and from multiple points, to create the right conditions for its meditation sessions.
• This stately home needed to control 90 lamps (700W/VA total) in three chandeliers to dim large loads in a ballroom for its discerning clientele.
• This restaurant bar needed a dimming solution to connect over 100 mixed LED fittings to existing wiring - and be fully dimmable.

These projects and their clients didn’t have a lot in common, except for one thing: they would have previously required complex and expensive solutions – and Zano made them all simple.

How do I know if my LED dimmer is right for my LED lamps?

The simple answer is that you choose a dimmer designed specifically for LED, which is what you will find with Zano’s range of LED dimmers – from the ZSMARTLED range, to dim from up to 3 points on a single circuit, to the ZBARLED1000, which can make light work of the largest loads.

However, if you need the peace of mind to know if the lamps you use will be compatible with Zano’s award-winning LED technology, then we can test your lamps for compatibility with our dimmers entirely free of charge – all you need to do is call our technical team at 0345 519 5858.