Low voltage halogen vs. Line voltage halogen

[John Gregory]

Is the cost of running 50W halogen lights the same whether it is 12V or 110v? We are remodeling our basement and we are using 3" can lights, line voltage. low voltage cans are so very expensive, each needing a transformer, we could not justify the cost.

Thanks

[Steve Clardy]

Not sure on the electron cost John.
I'd prefer line voltage. No transformer to worry about burning out a few years down the road.

[David Carley]

There will be some extra inefficiency in the AC -> DC conversion for the 12V fixture, but if you ignore that, you're going have a bulb that burns 50W -- the utility company charges you by the kilowatt-hour, so the cost for lighting the bulb will be the same.

-Dave

[John Gregory]

Not sure on the electron cost John.
I'd prefer line voltage. No transformer to worry about burning out a few years down the road.

The fixture cost from HD was very reasonable. We bought them in 6 packs that worked out to be $7.33 each. They us the GU10 50W bulb. And with cans you need lots of them to make any lighting effect in a room.

[John Gregory]

There will be some extra inefficiency in the AC -> DC conversion for the 12V fixture, but if you ignore that, you're going have a bulb that burns 50W -- the utility company charges you by the kilowatt-hour, so the cost for lighting the bulb will be the same.

-Dave

That is what I thought Dave. I just wanted so see if I thought correctly.

[Jim Becker]

I used both in my kitchen rennovation back in 2003. The under cabinet lighting uses a common transformer. The cans in the ceiling have individual on-fixture transformers. One thing you need to be very careful with on the former is that you stay within the ratings on the transformer as you add lights...overloading can be annoying at the least and "not good at all" at the worst. Be sure to use the right fixtures if you plan on dimming, too...

Oh, and I had terrible luck with the few fixtures I bought at the 'borg...transformer burn outs, etc. Those I got elsewhere (local electrical supplier and online - WAC branding) have been wonderful...and the cost difference was minimal in the long run.

[John Gregory]

I used both in my kitchen rennovation back in 2003. The under cabinet lighting uses a common transformer. The cans in the ceiling have individual on-fixture transformers. One thing you need to be very careful with on the former is that you stay within the ratings on the transformer as you add lights...overloading can be annoying at the least and "not good at all" at the worst. Be sure to use the right fixtures if you plan on dimming, too...

Oh, and I had terrible luck with the few fixtures I bought at the 'borg...transformer burn outs, etc. Those I got elsewhere (local electrical supplier and online - WAC branding) have been wonderful...and the cost difference was minimal in the long run.

Ours are inline voltage and dimmable according to the package. For under cabinet kitchen light I would use low voltage too

[Jim Becker]

John, I used a LV Xeonon track system from WAC under the cabinets and it worked out nicely as I could distribute the light appropriately and with flexiblity as well as have a lower tempurature than halogens. Line voltage was just plain easier to use "up above". Because our kitchen ceiling is so low (6'10"), I went with "extra wide" beam 50w bulbs and kept them relatively close together for good overlap.

[Joe Mioux]

Replacing those low voltage transformers are expensive. I have 12 in my bay windows at my Carlyle shop. At my Breese shop I have a dual system. One track that uses both line and low voltage. That is pretty cool. On that ceiling I use 12 each line and low. that ceiling height is 14'.

At the Carlyle shop, I have Halos and replacement cost is around $100 for each transformer. The upside is they provide excellent lighting.

For the home, we went with line voltage, it is less complicated that way.

Joe

[Tyler Howell]

You should be able to find a power supply to operate a number of lights.
You won't have the control but very functional just the same.