The man who invented a dimming device for lights was recently given an industry Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the field, including founding Coopersburg-based Lutron Electronics and commercializing light dimmers that save millions in energy each year.
Lutron founder Joel Spira, who invented his dimming device in 1959, received the award from the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association, an industry group of companies specializing in home electronic systems. Spira is recognized as a pioneer in the field thanks to his work on switches that allow people to control the level of lighting in a room instead of just turning lights on and off.
Lutron makes a host of other products to control light in single rooms and whole buildings. Spira is the company’s chairman and director of research.
Company figures show that a single wall dimmer saves almost 60 kilowatt hours per year. With all of the Lutron products on the market, that adds up to almost 10 billion kilowatt hours, which equals about $1 billion in energy savings nationwide.
The industry association chooses its award-winners based on nominations by peers in the field.
Sources: Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association, Lutron Electronics
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen