Without question, halogen IR lamps are more energy efficient than
conventional halogens; you just have to compare the lumen ratings for
both.

A regular Philips 75 watt, 120 volt, PAR38 halogen has a rated life of
2,500 hours and produces 1,050 lumens. This works out to be 14
lumens per watt, or about 1.5 times that of an incandescent BR bulb.

The 70 watt Philips IR version is rated for 4,200 hours of service and
has a light output of 1,550 lumens, or just over 22 lumens per watt.
That's roughly 1.6 times the amount of light, per watt, of the
abovementioned halogen and 2.5 times that of an equivalent BR.

Basically, it works much like the low-e coating applied to windows.
Halogen bulbs, like all incandescent lamps, emit energy over a wide
spectrum, both visible (i.e., light) and invisible (heat). The
"selective" coating applied to the bulb capsule allows the visible
light out and reflects part of the heat back to the filament;
"recycling" this heat allows the filament to maintain its operating
temperature, using less power.

For more information on this, see:
http://www.sylvania.com/content/disp...x?id=003679870

Cheers,
Paul


On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 13:46:22 -0600, Bud--
wrote:

Paul M. Eldridge wrote:
If your budget permits, I would recommend halogen PAR38s due to their
longer life, higher efficiency, better lumen maintenance and superior
light quality. For a little more money, you might also consider
halogen "IR" ("infra-red"), which offer even greater efficiency and
extended service life.

See:
http://www.nam.lighting.philips.com/...pdf/p-5761.pdf


I thought the link was short on information and long on marketing, like
"Up to 42 Layers of IR Coating on Double Ended Burner".

They are stated as longer life than standard halogens. From your
description they are higher efficiency than standard halogens? Any idea
how they do it? Difference of "IR" from standard halogens?

bud--