apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Can I recommend that you choose a switch that works manually (ie there are no little lights on the side of the switch). We have had a big prob with the "fancy" dimmers shorting out and having to be replaced. The 2nd from the left looks like the kind we've had probs with (they are Lutrons). First and last ones look manual.

We just redid all the switches in our new place. It is amazing how much nicer the lutron style decora swtiches with or without dimmers look over the conventional toggle on off switches.

the NOVA you have pictured on the right is only for heavier duty use (i.e. 1,000 watts). We used it with recessed lighting 6 heads.

the DIVA is the one we used for dimmer and non-dimmers throughout. that is the one that maxwell is talking about. It is around 30 or so at home depot.

We also used the lutron Maestro in the front vestibule.

This one is cool, in that you set the level and then when you hit the button, it gradually raises or lowers to the level you want it to be. It has little lights that show the progression from off to on.

I switched EVERY light switch (even the bathroom!) too a dimmer. I love it!

Get a dimmer with remote control. Its the ultimate in lazy to turn the light off without having to get out of bed...i love it!!

I cant find my exact one but has a completly flat panel with a tiny infra red sensor on top. You press gently on to dim up or down, or hit once for on/off. Remote can be set to control 2 switches. I got mine at home depot for $20 (I wished I'd bought more and done all rooms!). cant see it on amazon, but they have similar looking from lutron for $70+

Lutron switches, in my opinion have a very clean look to them. I like the fact that there is pale light glowing from the switch when the room is dark so there is no stuggle to locate the switch (while this may be less than eco friendly, I still like this aspect). If the dimmers are being used for low voltage halogen lamps, you have to make certain the switch and the lights and/or transformer are compatible. There is a specific dimmer for low voltage halogen lamps.

Mason

I like the Insteon switches from Smarthome. They are standard decora paddles that can be automated. You brighten and dim them by tapping and holding either the top or bottom. They even have little LEDs along the edge that show the dim level and let you know where the switch is in the dark.

The only thing I don't like so much about them is that the LEDs are actually quite bright. If you can see them from your bed you may want to mod them a bit to knock down the brightness, perhaps with a dot of semi-opaque epoxy.

To me, more important than the look of the switch is the feel as you use it. I still prefer the old rotary style dimmers (though I insist on the ones that click off by rotating, not push on/off); I find the motion easier for achieving a precise level of lighting, kind of like old volume knobs on TV's or stereos. I think linear dimmers are harder to use.

Many hardware store have dimmers out on display connected to lights, so you can try them and see if you enjoy using them.

PS - EVERY light in our places are on dimmers!

How bout this one? Completely concealed, and you can cover it with pretty much whatever you want.

http://www.anigmo.com

Stuff like this is what keeps me coming back to AT. Keep up the good work!

Can anyone recommend a good light switch COMBINED WITH an electrical outlet? I've looked for one on the Lutron site, but they don't seem to have it.

Also, for what it's worth, I can't imagine having a remote control for my light switch. I have a hard enough time keeping track of my TV remote. And besides, if you need to turn on a light somewhere, it's because you're going to be in that room -- in which case you might as well just flip the switch manually. But I live in a 589 sq ft apartment and not a sprawling duplex. So, if you're lucky enough to live in a place where the light switch is 100 feet away, then go ahead and get the remote control for your light switch.

On the other hand, I'm totally intrigued by the idea of a remote light switch. The wiring at our house is kind of weird and we have a few places for hardwired light fixtures that don't have accompanying switches wired into the circuit.

There are a lot of nice sconce fixtures in the world, but not a whole lot of nice ones with the on-off switch built in (maybe the subject or another 10 best feature? Please??)....

So--can you wire it so that the a remote on-off switch is at the light fixture itself? Or are there any sconces with this feature built in?

I installed Lutron Maestro switches with Claro wall plates. Clean, minimal soft-touch switches and dimmers. Even in the bathroom, creates a cool serene feel. P

DavidO, how about when you climb into bed? Wouldn't it be nice to turn on and off the lights without getting up? How about when you are watching a movie?

Even better, how about having multiple lighting sources in the room respond all at once to preset levels with only one switch or button press?

Angie, for your situation why not use Insteon or X10 switches and a small RF switch (click my name)?

To the mention about indicator lights not being eco friendly, the amount of energy used to light that little lamp is pretty negligable.

A one watt indicator lamp will use 8.76 kilowatt hours per year, and at 10 cents per kilowatt hour, you are looking at about .88 cents a year. In the grand scheme of things, a pretty small amount of energy used for a nice convenience of being able to see the switch in the dark..

A word of caution with the Leviton Acenti switches and outlets: they are larger than a standard switch and outlet!

If your switch is close to trim, you'll be sweating the fit. Also, the entire assembly is larger than a standard switch. So if you have shallow rough-in electrical boxes you'll have a tough fit.

I love the look of them, but for retrofit, you need to be careful with the size. Measure twice, cut once. Leviton has a great installation guide that will help you make sure they fit. http://www.leviton.com/acenti/pdfs/Acenti_Guide.pdf

One last note, the Acenti collection is large dollars. Where some of the Lutrons are sub $10.00 and Acenti switch is high $30's or more depending on your supplier.

Like TeoNYC, I installed Lutron Maestro and Claro wallplates everywhere throughout my apartment. And, I mean everywhere, including the closets (which have translucent glass doors), the bathrooms and the kitchen. All of the floor and table lamps also have dimmer controls. Also, I installed Lutron Maestro switches for the fans and the utility room so it all matches throughout. Finally, I changed out all the receptacles to Lutron. Made a huge difference over the cheap off-white outlets the contractors installed. I will never live dimmerless again - it changes everything.

We just installed Aspire dimmers (from Lowe's) on all of our overhead switches. They are fantastic and cheap. Our favorite part is that the lights come up and down slowly. You never have that "Oye, too bright!" thing when you turn on the bathroom light in the middle of the night.

Regarding remotes, I've been waiting for Lightning Switches (lightningswitch.com) to come down in price. They're essentially wireless and BATTERYLESS remotes that actually look very nice (Imagine simply a tile about 2.5" square).

I'm doing renovations right now, and watching every penny. However, if I do end up with enough left over, I'm considering installing simple Levitons with 2 rockers, but mounting them sideways so they seem small and inobtrusive (instead of having single massive switches). What do you think?

DavidO, you can achieve the switch/electrical outlet combo with Lutron by purchasing the two separately (and you HAVE to buy the Lutron outlet for sizing issues) and then Lutron's double wall plate. I just did this.

We switched most of the switches in our house the the Lutron rocker type, most with dimmers. They look good, work well and are relatively easy to fine/operate in the dark (like when you come into a room with no lights on). Seem to be the best combination of style, ease of use and affordability.

Thank you, Felicity! I feel like a bonehead for failing to figure it out. But you saved my bacon!

Max: Yes, it would be nice to use a remote control light switch when I'm in bed, but I have to weigh that convenience against having just one more eletronic gadget in my home. I'm not saying that no one should ever get such a thing, but it needs to be balanced against everything else (including my desire to have a simple and uncluttered home). And, for me, the remote control light switch just doesn't make the cut.

Thanks, Max! Who knew such things existed? (Not me, apparently.)

I need to find a nice looking switch that can go on the inside of a cabinet I just made that can be used in place of the ugly one that came with the halogen lights. I have seen some that can fit into a recessed cup type of mounting. I will drill out the wires so that you would not see any wires on the inside of the cabinet. Any thoughts??