Is the device similar to a relay? The economizing is probably to increase its useful lifetime. One factor is whether you have DC going through the contacts, or AC. At the moment of making or breaking contact, you want to do so when AC volts=0 and current=0. This minimizes tendency to arc. Arcing eats up contacts.
What about DC? Are you supposed to build a circuit that starts at zero current, then make relay contact, then increase current to the spec amount?