Fwom:Charles Middleton )
Subject: LV or mains

Are there any statistics available for comparing energy usage or is
it
as simple as comparing the wattage of the unit?

yep, simple as that, the wattage figure is what it uses.


I know that with CFL's
quote a usage wattage and an equivalent output wattage as well.

well, sort of. The comparisons are usually deliberately misleading and
best ignored.


When it
comes to LV is a direct comparison to mains possible or does one have
to take into account the step down in voltage and does this make the
fixture more or less efficient?

Running halogens at 12v enables the bulb to be designed to run more
efficienctly than mains halogens.

While you can compare lumens output for any 2 bulbs, halogens tend to
vary somewhat, unlike other bulb types, so its hard to pin them down.
As a rough guide, a 12v halogen is typ 1.5 - 2x the efficiency of a
mains GLS, but this does vary.


NT