LV down lights vs. GU10 down lights Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[poss]

hi there

i was just wondering if 12volt downlights are more energy efficient than 240volt down lights? do they use the same amount of power? will a 50 watt GU 10 lamp cost more to run than a 50 watt 12volt one?

thanks

[ericmark]

If all voltages are correct there would be little difference in extra low voltage and low voltage lamps but some of the inverters (transformers) used for extra low can compensate for incorrect voltage but there must also be losses in the control gear so which would show as best would depend on actual voltage supplied. Because Extra low voltage (50 volt or below) inverters have often a minimum supply amps some can't be used with low energy alternatives but the are no electrical reasons why low voltage (below 1000 volts) low energy LED or cold cathode can't be used except in some cases because they are a little longer they can look unsightly. Also where inverters and extra low voltage is used it is not as easy to upgrade from say 10 watt to 50 watt as the transformer would also need changing but with GU10 there is no transformer to prevent different wattages to be used.

[poss]

thanks for the reply.
so there is no advantage to ELV down lights? if anything they are more hassle as you cant change from a 50w lamp to a 10w lamp without changing the transformer? but with LV ones you can change the lamp wattage as you please?
whats the big selling point for ELV downlights then? is it safer because its 12v not 230v? why would you buy ELV over LV?
thanks again