Downlighter running costs

[gcx51]

If I have running 41 low voltage downlighters running at 50w per light via 60va transformers.

The total wattage is 2050w

How much is this going to cost to run per hour?

If i add a dimmer and have them dimmed will this save energy?

Thanks

 

[johnny_t]

Check your electricity bill for the rate per kWh. That is how much it costs to have a load of 1kW running for 1 hour, or 500 W for two hours etc. You are drawing more or less 2kW, so your lighting will cost you twice the kWh rate per hour - About 15p, as a rough guess.

But......2kW is an awful lot of light.

Re: Dimming, I believe that it will save some energy, but not as much as you'd think. Having lights at 1/10 brightness will use more than 1/10 the energy. You also need to make sure that your transformers are suitable for dimming, and your dimmers are suitable for transformers


EDIT: And you're going to be drawing at least 8A, so make sure that the supply is up to it.

 

[andy]

see leccy bill for price of KWH.

youll be usin around 2KWH per hour for the lights. around 16P/hour

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If I have running 41 low voltage downlighters running at 50w per light via 60va transformers.

The total wattage is 2050w

How much is this going to cost to run per hour?

It's a bit worrying that you don't know the answer is "whatever the cost of 2.05 units of electricity to them is". (or 2.16 if the supplies are 95% efficient, 2.28 if they're 90%).

If i add a dimmer and have them dimmed will this save energy?

You'll need more than "a dimmer" for 2kW of ELV lighting..

BTW - I hope you've got a written record of your professional advice to them to use fluorescent lighting. Not only are they going to have high bills, but the lamp replacement regime will be a pain - once a bit of time has gone by, and the lamps are all of random ages, they'll be replacing them at about one per week....

 

[slippyr4]

You'll need more than "a dimmer" for 2kW of ELV lighting..

Do it using this as the basis of a rheostat:-

 

[username#132]

What kind of area needs 2 kW of light? Can't you just use lower wattage bulbs? At least the area wont need to be heated... (btw, after the price hike, for me 2 kW = 28 p/hr!)

 

[Big_Spark]

I think some conclusions are being jumped into here, he has not said that all this lighting is on one circuit, that it will all be switched together or anything of that nature.

Having said that the general points raised are valid.