Home Page link

Is 12volt track lighting cheaper to operate than 120 volt system??

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Is 12volt track lighting cheaper to operate than 120 volt system?? vic 02-20-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by vic on February 20, 2007, 9:11 pm


Can someone explain the benefits of 12 volt track lights.

Does a 50 watt 12 volt light use 50 watts? Is there any operating cost
inherent in using a 12 volt system vs a standard 120 volt track
lighting system?

Thanks for your help!

Vic


Posted by Mark Lloyd on February 20, 2007, 9:48 pm



>Can someone explain the benefits of 12 volt track lights.
>
>Does a 50 watt 12 volt light use 50 watts?


Yes. What did you think "50W" meant?

Current will be 50W / 12V = 4.17A

> Is there any operating cost
>inherent in using a 12 volt system vs a standard 120 volt track
>lighting system?
>

The transformer will be less than 100% efficient, using some power.

>Thanks for your help!
>
>Vic
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is
not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has
no place in the curriculum of our nation's public
school classes." -- Ted Kennedy

Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on February 20, 2007, 10:11 pm



> Can someone explain the benefits of 12 volt track lights.
>
> Does a 50 watt 12 volt light use 50 watts? Is there any operating cost
> inherent in using a 12 volt system vs a standard 120 volt track
> lighting system?
>
> Thanks for your help!

One big advantage of 12V systems is safety. It allows Joe Sixpack to do his
own wiring with no fear of killing himself. It is especially beneficial
with the outdoor lighting systems.

You still have to burn a given amount of power to light a bulb. Not much
difference there.



Posted by Jim Yanik on February 20, 2007, 10:19 pm



>
>> Can someone explain the benefits of 12 volt track lights.
>>
>> Does a 50 watt 12 volt light use 50 watts? Is there any operating
>> cost inherent in using a 12 volt system vs a standard 120 volt track
>> lighting system?
>>
>> Thanks for your help!
>
> One big advantage of 12V systems is safety. It allows Joe Sixpack to
> do his own wiring with no fear of killing himself. It is especially
> beneficial with the outdoor lighting systems.
>
> You still have to burn a given amount of power to light a bulb. Not
> much difference there.
>
>
>

I suspect there's some loss in converting your 120VAC to 12V.
How much depends on the method;switcher or iron-core transformer.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Posted by Dave Martindale on February 20, 2007, 11:52 pm


>Can someone explain the benefits of 12 volt track lights.

The wires connecting to the bulbs don't need particularly good
insulation, allowing all sorts of creativity in how the system is put
together and what carries the current to the bulb.

Also, a 12 V 50 W lamp has a fairly thick robust tungsten filament. The
same wattage lamp at 120 V has a very thin and fragile filament.

>Does a 50 watt 12 volt light use 50 watts? Is there any operating cost
>inherent in using a 12 volt system vs a standard 120 volt track
>lighting system?

Yes, it uses 50 W. 12 V lamps are generally halogen, so they are whiter
in colour and more efficient (more luments per watt) than a standard
cheap 120 V incandescent bulb. But 120 V halogen lamps are just as
efficient.

There is some loss in the transformer, but it's probably less than 10%

        Dave

Similar ThreadsPosted
12volt stepdown from 36 volt system?? July 6, 2005, 10:07 pm
Track lighting on GFCI May 31, 2006, 10:23 am
Track lighting on GFCI? May 31, 2006, 11:48 am
Track lighting on GFCI? May 31, 2006, 11:52 am
track lighting problem March 23, 2007, 12:29 pm
HELP!! Track lighting question April 3, 2007, 11:53 am
generic question about track lighting July 22, 2005, 8:10 pm
rail/track lighting for kitchen March 8, 2007, 10:54 am
cable track lighting repair question January 28, 2007, 9:03 pm
Cost to Run 12 volt Exterior Lighting January 27, 2008, 10:30 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap