Does dimming your overhead lighting save in energy costs?

Absolutely yes! If you dim a line of lights by say 50% brightness, you will be saving approx. 42% of energy. The dimmer switch itself uses some energy. That's why you wouldn't be saving 50% of the energy.

Any halogen or incandescent light bulb can be put on a dimmer switch. On a dimmer switch, the bulbs are not at their complete brightness. It varies by manufacturer but on average the bulbs will be at about 92% of their brightness if they were put in a socket without a dimmer switch.

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