DOE has revised its October 2013 report, Dimming LEDs with Phase-Cut Dimmers: The Specifier's Process for Maximizing Success, to include updated information about the installation of LED lighting and controls at the Burden Museum in Troy, NY, a GATEWAY project that was still in construction when the original report was published.
Because of project delays, the lighting designer rechecked the 18-month-old specifications just before the electrical contractor ordered the lighting for the museum. Because several LED products had been discontinued or changed chip generation or driver design, some product makes and models had to be changed, which affected either the type of compatible dimmer or the number of lamps or luminaires that could be dimmed on a single dimming zone. Fortunately, the controls manufacturer worked closely with the lighting designer and electrical engineer to ensure full compatibility on all of the dimming circuits.
The lighting and controls were installed at the museum in early 2014. The end result was that the process for checking LED product compatibility with phase-cut dimmers specified for each dimming zone worked very well. Although it added time to the design process, with a recheck and adjustments to the dimming specifications just before bidding and ordering products, none of the dimming circuits produced erratic or unexpected behavior once installed.
The museum staff reported that all of the dimmable LED products dimmed smoothly to low levels. They were thrilled with the visual appearance of the LED lighting, the remarkable range of dimming control, and the ability to demonstrate different scenarios with one touch in an iPad or iPhone app.
