Field Adjustable Lighting – Good or Bad?

We have all heard the statistics about dimmers. An inordinately high percentage of dimmers are never changed. People set it to some level they desire and it never moves from that point for the rest of its usable life. I recently attended the 2025 Cleveland Electric Expo and listened to a lecture covering controls and learned that the same thing is happening with color controls. This expert indicated that 85% of their installations are set once and never moved again. Sort of defeats the idea of circadian-sensitive lighting, hum?

If you have listened to me speak or read my posts, you know I do not use many dimmers in my lighting designs. I’d much rather have multiple switches control specific areas of the room. With multiple switches, I get all the variation I could possible need or want. For example, I have five switches in my kitchen that control lighting (one controls a non-illuminated ceiling fan, so we won’t bring this into the conversation.) That provides me with 120 variations of light. (5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1) Do I need more than 120 options? Does anyone?

My reasons also go beyond simple options. When I spent a portion of my career thinking about landscape lighting, dimmable product was entering the market. I couldn’t think of anything less viable. The job of a landscape lighting designer is to place the correct amount of light in the right area and contrast that with the surrounding lighted and unlit elements in the space. The result is a delicate balance. Some trees are intentionally lit brighter. Some shrubs are simply touched with light. Yard art might demand more (or less) brightness. Pathways and steps are illuminated to provide safety to the user. This symmetry would be quickly defeated upon the introduction of a dimmer. Nonetheless, I see dimmers advertised for use in landscape lighting. Why? It’s a gadget marketing can use to grab the attention of the consumer.

I understand the need for field adjustability in commercial spaces. Commercial lighting is far more complex than the residential world I inhabit. Field adjustability is a crucial aspect, insuring each unique business and workspace gets the light needed and desired, while maximizing savings on energy. The adjustability might only be used upon initial set-up, or perhaps when a new occupant takes over a space or office. A leather boutique might have very different demands for light when compared with a jewelry store. Adjustability has its place.

I worry now about color adjustability. We are learning more daily about the demands our body has on light. We could begin regulating light color transitions that support our circadian needs (bright bluer mornings and afternoons and dim, warmer evenings.) Then the customer gets involved playing with the dials and before you know it, they are lighting the evenings with bright 6500K light and wondering why they can’t sleep. Sure, once we go away, the property is owned by the client, but do we forfeit responsibility? How do we prevent our clients from being their own worst enemy?

I remember talking to a landscape designer about customer interaction. He told me that he explains to the prospective customer that he will select ALL the accent lighting used on a job. The customer would choose the pathway luminaires. He then offered three options. I asked why he only gave them three. He told me that if he gave the customer more, or, god-forbid, the whole catalog, a decision would never be made. Seeing the catalog and reading the marketing descriptions, the client might also start asking about some of the accent lighting choices. By limiting their options, he gave the homeowner a choice of what he believed to be three excellent options. Any of the three would properly illuminate the pathways. It insured a better job than if the client were in the driver seat.

Field adjustability is not a dimmer. Some significant variants can now be programed and provided with lighting. Human health benefits are now possible with light programing. Do we really want to leave this in the hands of a layman?