Tipmont Engineering has noticed some flickering issues with LED bulbs and dimmer switches. It appears the flickering is caused when new LED bulbs are added to circuits controlled by dimmers. The dimming effect in older dimmers is created by repeatedly switching electric power on and off many times per second.  This switching reduces total power delivered to the bulb, and a dimming of light output. The dimming effect is actually a flicker, but it is not visible due to the characteristics of incandescent bulbs.

LED bulbs are electronic devices and are visibly affected by the repeated switching of the older dimmers.  LED-compatible dimmer switches use new technology to switch on and off much faster. While the Cree LED bulbs Tipmont is providing to members are “dimmable”, they may cause intermittent visible flicker if controlled by an older incandescent dimmer switch.

Our engineers are continuing to study this issue. In the meantime, the bulb manufacturer has made a list of recommended dimmers available on its website at creebulb.com/dimmers. If you have any questions, please call Tipmont at 800-726-3953.