RE: Re: Do X10 Dimmers save electricity?

["Phil Harris" <phil@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

=20
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Buckley [mailto:db@xxxxxxx]=20
> Sent: 17 February 2005 06:19
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: [ukha_d] Re: Do X10 Dimmers save electricity?
>=20
> Found on usenet:
>=20
> For a standard tungsten filament lamp, the effect of varying=20
> the supply voltage from the rated value (100%) is thus:
>=20
> Voltage     Light output      Lamp life   Power consumption=20=20
> Efficiency
> 110%           140%              32%         115%              120%
> 100%           100%             100%         100%              100%
>  95%            80%             200%          96%               83%
>  90%            65%             400%          88%               74%
>  80%            45%           >2000%          72%               63%
>  50%             8%      almost forever       35%               22%
>=20
> The power savings from dimming lighting are enormous, if you=20
> burn enough hours.  This is why any modern building has=20
> controlled lighting, so as to save money whilst providing the=20
> design illumination level.

But the savings due to dimming are only worthwhile in the case of large
buildings - in a domestic environment it just isn't a valid argument. I
mean, consider a typical C-Bus installation in a typical house (if there is
such a thing) - let's say that costs even =A32k (unlikely)? =A32k will pay
=
my
electricity bill for nigh on 10 years at current prices and I know that
lighting isn't my biggest user of electricity. (The ruddy AV system, which
=
I
include the server as part of, is and that bitch can't be dimmed!)

Phil