Energy Savings Calculation for Lighting
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How to Calculate Energy Savings for Lighting: Is there any difference in the energy savings if I replace light bulbs in a regular 120 volt fixture or in a 12 Vac low voltage fixture? © By: Dave Rongey |
Calculating Energy Savings
[ad#block]Electrical Question: Is there any difference in the energy savings calculation if I replace light bulbs in a regular line voltage (120Vac) fixture or in a low-voltage (12Vac) fixture?
- I am replacing an MR16, 20W halogen with an 8W LED in a 12Vac lighting fixture.
- I want to calculate energy savings. Do I just use the difference in bulb wattage times my electricity cost ($0.08543/Kwh), or do I need to include the power rating of the low-voltage transformer in the savings calculation.
- The LED bulb has integrated driver. I can just swap out the bulbs, with no additional wiring or equip modifications.
Thank you for your response.
Additional Comments: Great site.
Background: Doug, a Homeowner from West Palm Beach, Florida.
Dave’s Reply:
Thanks for your electrical question Doug.
Energy Savings Calculation
Note: It is important to note that watts are watts, no matter what the voltage will be.
How to Calculate Energy Savings for Lighting
- The Energy Saving Calculation for Lighting is produced when we know the following:
- The total number of watts of the light fixture for all the lamps.
- The number of hours the light fixture will be turned on.
- The cost of electricity, which is the KWH rate as provided on your electrical utility invoice.
Example:
Watts x Hours x Cost Per KWH /1000 = Cost/Savings
Note: Keep in mind that the KWH Rate is Cost Per 1000 Watt Hours so you will have to divide the results by 1000.
The Advantages of New Technologies in Lighting
The energy saving advantages of new technology lighting is that the amount of light that is produced is comparable to most older lights, except the new lights consume less watts while producing a high lumen amount of light.
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