Consider Benefits of a Smart Wall Switch vs. Smart Bulbs

by Tom Olecki, Owner, Broadview Heating

Smart light bulbs are highly efficient compared to old-school incandescent light bulbs. For example, a typical smart bulb uses only 9.5 watts to produce the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb. Their use has been increasing in popularity in the last few years and some can even be programmed to turned off or on by voice, by your phone, or through using Alexa, or Google type devices. You can also program the bulbs to automatically come on or off at set times so even if you are away, it appears that someone is home. Most are dimmable and others can even change colors so creating different moods or accents at each bulb is another great feature.

Prices for smart bulbs are more than a standard incandescent or LED bulb, so if you want these features at all of your fixtures, it can become quite expensive. Just think about all the lighting fixtures in your home, especially if your home has multiple canned ceiling lights.

To get all the features of a smart bulb at a reasonable cost, a better solution is to use a smart wall switch instead. Smart wall switches can easily replace your standard wall switch and offer you all the features of a smart bulb with just one switch. For instance, if you have eight bulbs controlled on one switch, you can save the expense of replacing all eight bulbs with smart bulbs and instead use standard, inexpensive LED bulbs. Then, these standard bulbs can be controlled with just one smart switch with considerable initial savings. Replacement costs as the bulbs age will be reasonable too when compared to replacing a more expensive smart bulb.

Smart switches can also be programmed to control different fixtures than they were initially wired to, so you can add additional lights to the switch without expensive wiring changes. We can even add a three-way switch where needed so you can control the same light fixture from multiple locations. Want to control a wall outlet or outdoor lighting with a smart switch? We can do that too. All these features can be added simply and without expensive rewiring.

Tom Olecki, Owner, Broadview Heating

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Questions are always welcome. For free help with your heating/cooling system, ask the experts at broadviewheating@sbcglobal.net or call 440-526-7310.

Opinions and claims expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ScripType Publishing.