I have 20A circuits in my office and garage and I would like to install smart switches to drive the LED lights (either on/off or dimmer). I pulled the wire, so all the circuits have neutrals.
Are there any Inovelli switches that would work (and be code compliant) in this circuit?
I’ve asked electricians, but none of the ones that I have talked to know anything about smart switches.
I have the switches installed in 20 amp circuit runs. I’m not 100% on code rules but I thought you could step down and be fine. You would not be able to install a 20 amp outlet on a 15 amp breaker though.
In the dumb switch world there are 15a switches and 20a switches. But in the smart switch world the switches are rated for max capacity based on the load type, not just a simple amperage rating.
So you can go to https://support.inovelli.com and search for the switch you are interested in and “spec sheet” to determine the rating. The Red On/Off for example is rated for 600W Incandescent, 300W LED, 150W CFL.
Regarding the code question, this has been debated ad nauseum regarding dumb switches. The NEC states that switches must be used within their capacity. So the general consensus is that you just have to use a switch that is rated for whatever load it is switching. That applies to lights, because you more or less know the load. So going back to the dumb switch world, the consensus is that you can use a 15a switch on a 20a circuit so long as the load doesn’t exceed 15a.
As my esteemed colleague @harjms pointed out (backwards though lol), you can’t install a 15a receptacle on a 20a circuit because you can’t predict the load. Same goes for a 15a switch controlling a receptacle on a 20a circuit.
(NEC 404.14 and 210.21)
Thank you both. I thought that I should be fine if my only load is only some LED lights. I knew enough not to try and control a 20A outlet with a 15A switch.