Built in 1929, the recently renovated Roosevelt hotel in downtown Seattle prides itself on setting the ideal mood for its guests. To achieve its targeted lighting levels and colors, the Roosevelt decided to use LED lighting technology in its upgrade. When used with a dimming device, LED lamps would help transform the lobby area with colors and aesthetics unable to be achieved with standard incandescent lighting. LED lighting would not only set the right mood, but because lobby lights to remain on 24 hours a day, also provide the hotel with electrical savings.
Unfortunately, its first attempts at using dimming devices with the new LED lighting resulted in low-end flickering when the lamps were dimmed to lower light levels. Patrick Hughes, chief engineer at The Roosevelt, searched for an alternative that would eliminate the flickering issues. He turned to Graybar, hoping for a solution that wouldn’t require extensive renovation — pulling wires, patching walls, and repainting — to the hotel’s lobby. Jim Edwards from Graybar Seattle recommended Leviton’s Universal Dimmer, which eliminates flickering issues, especially when dimming lighting banks that contain multiple LED lamps.
The Universal Dimmer works with a wide range of energy-efficient lamps — LED and CFL — and doesn't cause the low-end flickering. In addition, it's compatible with two- and three-wire installations, which meshed with the hotel’s existing residential wiring infrastructure that was built without a neutral wire at the switch box. Therefore, the electrical contractor could install the devices without pulling a neutral wire. The dimmer offers a single lighting control capable of properly dimming next-generation lighting sources while also remaining compatible with existing lamps.
In total, The Roosevelt installed 12 Universal Dimmers — six in the public lobby space and six in management offices. Hughes notes that since the installation of Leviton’s Universal Dimmers in the lobby, everyone — employees and guests — has been pleased. Guests have commented on the updated mood of the hotel and noted that improved lighting has made colors crisp and clean, even at low levels.
“We have been extremely pleased with the end result,” says Hughes. “Not only has the overall look and feel of the hotel improved, but we have been able to see electric utility costs go down significantly, which is a major plus for any business owner.”
