Insteon and dimmable CF bulbs

I think this is more a function of the CFL design than it is of the dimmer. Any dimmable CFL rated to work with "incandescent only" dimmers should be OK with these switches.

SmartHome does not allow its dealers to sell at discount so you are unlikely to find much variation in pricing. For example, AutomatedOutlet.com sells it for the same price as SmartHome.

Martin Custer at AutomatedOutlet would probably be willing to test the bulbs you plan to use with these switches.

If you do go this way I'm sure a lot of pe>Is it possible to use dimmable CF bulbs with Insteon wall switch 2476D. The

fine.

You can also try Todd Missey at

Check that the CFL has a broad dimming range. Some will ramp up very quickly to almost full brightness leaving a very sensitive or narrow dimming range with flicker. You already know that CFL will not dim down to a glow like incandescent. Most importantly, some CFL will make a lot of power line noise that will interfere with your X10 or Insteon. In my home, I've had to install a double gang box and have a Leviton X10 filter in the OUTPUT towards the bulb to prevent noise from desensing the switch when the lamp isn't full on, or full off. In this case, I'm using a dimmable GE R40 lamp.

Some other poster in this group a few months ago mentioned a brand of CF lamps that are labelled non-dimmable, but dim quite nicely, thank you. I can't remember the brand, but perhaps a google search will uncover this. This would save you a lot of money.

YMMV, but I'm thinking that dimmable CF lamps have a narrow application. For mood lighting, you just can't get that dim glow. For the front of my house (outdoor lighting), I'm using a Switchlinc Relay with CF lamps. Works great. The savings in energy are such that I'm not worried about CF power consumption in comparison to incandescent.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the response. The bulbs I am considering are rated to work with incandescent only.

The URL for Automated Outlet keeps redirecting to itself repeatedly. May be they are working on it. I will try it later. With google search I came across this source that discounts the Insteon switches by 20%. Anyone buy from these people? The addition to my home is expected to be completed in early spring of 2006. I will post my experience with Insteon.

The prices for these Insteon switches at the site you found are EXACTLY the same as AutomatedOutlet and HNA (cited by RF Dude). They all quote a high list price and claim a 20-50% discount. If you check the SmartHome site you'll see their current price is $39.99 for the 2476D.

Use the search function at AutomatedOutlet to find the 2476D.

I've never bought from any of the cited dealers but I've found Martin Custer at AutomatedOutlet to be very knowledgeable. (He loaned me an Insteon starter kit so I could test it and report the results here.) I have bought from SmartHome and have always found them reliable but it's not always easy to reach someone there who is very knowledgeable.

I'm not a fan of CFL whether dimmable or not. There c>Thanks for the response. The bulbs I am considering are rated to work with

I probably should add a bit more info on CFL failure rates. Google on "cfl early failure".

Here's an excellent whitepaper on the topic, describing the testing that led to changes in EnergyStar standards in 2003.

There is an EnergyStar site which lists CFLs which meet their specs.

Also, I would give more credence to the length of the manufacturer's warranty than to their estimated life. Bulb life is >I'm not a fan of CFL whether dimmable or not. There continue to be reports