Lowering electric bill with step up transformer

[bigsizzle]

I have an electrical question for the farm

Right now im running a 1k light off of 120v at some were around 10.8 amps
the ballest can run off 240v as well so if was able to run my light off of 240v the current would drop to around 5.5 amps and I would save money on my electiric bill.

Well unfortantly I have no way of getting 240v into my room but I did fing a step up transformer http://www.amazon.com/VCT-4000-Converter-Transformer-Worldwide/dp/B0012XWHKA does anyone see a reason why this wouldnt work or any problems I might run into.

Also does anyone have any experience with this type of transformer I wasnt able to find any current ratings on them just wattege I guess what I really want to know is if I could run a light and a/c off of on.

 

[Papa]

check your electric bill.

you don't pay for amps, you pay for (kilo)watts.

whether your ballast is 240v or 120v, you pay the same.




Papa

 

[1971]

I have an electrical question for the farm

Right now im running a 1k light off of 120v at some were around 10.8 amps
the ballest can run off 240v as well so if was able to run my light off of 240v the current would drop to around 5.5 amps and I would save money on my electiric bill.

Well unfortantly I have no way of getting 240v into my room but I did fing a step up transformer http://www.amazon.com/VCT-4000-Converter-Transformer-Worldwide/dp/B0012XWHKA does anyone see a reason why this wouldnt work or any problems I might run into.

Also does anyone have any experience with this type of transformer I wasnt able to find any current ratings on them just wattege I guess what I really want to know is if I could run a light and a/c off of on.

your understanding of electricity is a bit off. a higher voltage simply means less amp draw for the same wattage bulb. there is no magical way to reduce your electrical bill except by unplugging things :)

 

[SunFish]

Wow Wow
220 volt usually means 2 wires each carrying 120 volts. this equals 220 if its 110 or 240 if its 120 volt. This depends on your utility company.
If you only have a single line at 120 volts then ide say you live in a really old house if not then.
Ide bet you would be safer finding a way to get that other 120 volt phase from your service or branch panel. I would say you have a 220 volt service.
you just need to get an electrician to run a 3 or 4 wire conductor to your device
from your source of 2 120 volt feeder panel.

(whether your ballast is 240v or 120v, you pay the same)

this is a FALSE statement if so then edison would have ran supreme and tesla would be a nobody

The KVA rating on your transformer also states this and thats how they are rated for their current carrying capacity.

True power or WATTAGE is a relationship between volts and amps wether the wave is leading or lagging.
If your company has a lagging power factor. the utility will charge you more for having to correct your lagging power factor.
Ballasts create lags specially core and coils and any rated device should be ran at its highest voltage potential
this saves us all money and energy!!! GOOGLE HVDC edison lives on!

 

[steelyeyes]

check your electric bill.

you don't pay for amps, you pay for (kilo)watts.

whether your ballast is 240v or 120v, you pay the same.




Papa

Ditto what he said. Power is power and that's what you pay for. The only thing higher voltage saves you is on the size of the wire on initial install.

 

[Seamaiden]

Isn't there a better safety factor when you use a larger gauge wire, though? That's always my own concern--fire.

 

[sm0k4]

Wow Wow
220 volt usually means 2 wires each carrying 120 volts. this equals 220 if its 110 or 240 if its 120 volt. This depends on your utility company.
If you only have a single line at 120 volts then ide say you live in a really old house if not then.
Ide bet you would be safer finding a way to get that other 120 volt phase from your service or branch panel. I would say you have a 220 volt service.
you just need to get an electrician to run a 3 or 4 wire conductor to your device
from your source of 2 120 volt feeder panel.

(whether your ballast is 240v or 120v, you pay the same)

this is a FALSE statement if so then edison would have ran supreme and tesla would be a nobody

The KVA rating on your transformer also states this and thats how they are rated for their current carrying capacity.

True power or WATTAGE is a relationship between volts and amps wether the wave is leading or lagging.
If your company has a lagging power factor. the utility will charge you more for having to correct your lagging power factor.
Ballasts create lags specially core and coils and any rated device should be ran at its highest voltage potential
this saves us all money and energy!!! GOOGLE HVDC edison lives on!

While true, the savings would be negligible unless you are running a factory. But yeah, running at 240V is always good to do with high inductive loads, its more efficient. I doubt a couple lights is going to really matter on 120 though as far as costing a lot more.

 

[Illmind]

seamaiden u wanna use the proper gauge wire so the breaker trips when too much load is on a circuit. i believe breakers go off of heat from wire so if u use one thats too big your breaker wont trip when supposed to.

 

[Illmind]

the light wattage is 1kw big guy that's constant. i know ohms law and while e, and ir change the wattage doesn't ever. u can change 'e' and 'ir' all u want it's still gonna equal 1kw. as for running more lights safely on say a 15 amp branch circuit stepping voltage up will help u achieve that. pretty much only practical use i see upping voltage. and ya i understand leading and laggin it like 90 cents a month difference in a situation like this

 

[Seamaiden]

seamaiden u wanna use the proper gauge wire so the breaker trips when too much load is on a circuit. i believe breakers go off of heat from wire so if u use one thats too big your breaker wont trip when supposed to.

Ahhh...! Ok, that explains why when I thought we should go with the biggest gauge Romex to install the subpanel my husband said it wasn't a good idea, that it has to be matched for the load. Thanks. :)

 

[1971]

Isn't there a better safety factor when you use a larger gauge wire, though? That's always my own concern--fire.

Using larger wire means less voltage drop and does provide a safety factor as larger wire can carry more amperage than a smaller wire. That is why 14 guage is rated at 15 amps, 12 guage at 20, and 10 at 30. But, temperature that the wire is exposed to impacts the wires ability to shed heat and if ambient temps are high, you have to reduce the allowable ampacity of the wire. So if you ran your wire in your attic and you lived in texas, there is a good chance that a 12 guage wire might only be rated for 10 amps.

 

[1971]

While true, the savings would be negligible unless you are running a factory. But yeah, running at 240V is always good to do with high inductive loads, its more efficient. I doubt a couple lights is going to really matter on 120 though as far as costing a lot more.

the savings of running at 240 is that you can run more lights on a 20a circuit versus 120. that could mean savings in running less wire, plugs, timers, etc.

The efficiency and savings people talk about mostly has to do with motors run on a 3 phase system. Motors are definitely more efficient on this kind of system.

 

[Mr.GoodCat]

Very simply put, You get charged by the watt or kilowatt to be exact. OHMS law says a AMP x VOLT = WATT so if you have a 1000W Ballast running at 10.8 amps on 120V.
10.8 x 120 = 1296 Watts. Or if you have 5.4 amps running at 240V, 5.4 x 240 = 1296 Watts or the same power consumption. The biggest advantage is you can run more lights per panel if you use 240V because your panel is rated in AMPS. Does this make sense? Hope this clarifys things.

 

[1971]

Wow Wow
220 volt usually means 2 wires each carrying 120 volts. this equals 220 if its 110 or 240 if its 120 volt. This depends on your utility company.
If you only have a single line at 120 volts then ide say you live in a really old house if not then.
Ide bet you would be safer finding a way to get that other 120 volt phase from your service or branch panel. I would say you have a 220 volt service.
you just need to get an electrician to run a 3 or 4 wire conductor to your device
from your source of 2 120 volt feeder panel.

(whether your ballast is 240v or 120v, you pay the same)

this is a FALSE statement if so then edison would have ran supreme and tesla would be a nobody

The KVA rating on your transformer also states this and thats how they are rated for their current carrying capacity.

True power or WATTAGE is a relationship between volts and amps wether the wave is leading or lagging.
If your company has a lagging power factor. the utility will charge you more for having to correct your lagging power factor.
Ballasts create lags specially core and coils and any rated device should be ran at its highest voltage potential
this saves us all money and energy!!! GOOGLE HVDC edison lives on!

dude, not sure what planet you live on, but you pay for the electricity used. It DOESN'T MATTER if you use 120 or 240. the meter spins in relation to the demand.

I'm not sure how a kva rating impacts anything. if anything, there is some inherent loss in using a transformer due to heat.

congrats on sorta knowing ohms law. by the wave do you mean the sine wave? it has no bearing in the situation we are discussing. and again, not sure what planet you live on, but the utility does not correct anything. in fact, how would a utility makes changes to the power factor at an individuals house?

In terms of ballasts... they are less efficient than say digital ballasts due to heat and what not. but being run at 120v or 240v is simply choice of what is easiest for the end user.

the only way you are going to save money for yourself and us is to unplug the ballast.

So to recap, there is no magical device that will save you money. if you use 1000w, it doesn't matter if it is used at 120v or 240v

 

[1971]

Very simply put, You get charged by the watt or kilowatt to be exact. OHMS law says a AMP x VOLT = WATT so if you have a 1000W Ballast running at 10.8 amps on 120V.
10.8 x 120 = 1296 Watts. Or if you have 5.4 amps running at 240V, 5.4 x 240 = 1296 Watts or the same power consumption. The biggest advantage is you can run more lights per panel if you use 240V because your panel is rated in AMPS. Does this make sense? Hope this clarifys things.

easy there mr.goodcat, you are making way too much sense ;)

 

[ppower]

check your electric bill.

you don't pay for amps, you pay for (kilo)watts.

whether your ballast is 240v or 120v, you pay the same.




Papa

Your answer is partially true, though your bill is calculated by the total kilowatt hours used, your meter determines the amount of kilowatts used by a coil. When current travels through a piece of wire, a magnetic field is created. As the current increases through the wire, the magnetic field increases. If you were to take another piece of wire and coil it around the wire which has current flowing through, you would find that the magnetic fields being generated would induce a voltage in the other wire wrapped around. Thus, this is how your electricity meter calculates the amount of kilowatts used. So, we can say, the amount of current flowing through the circuit is used to calculate kilowatts. So, the more current you use, the more your bill will be, the less, the less your bill will be. So, if the higher the voltage equals lower current, then using a higher voltage 240 will make the light more efficient because the light will use less current. Anytime you have the choice to operate an appliance on 120 or 240, 240 is more efficient because it uses less current to operate. Remember, the higher the voltage, the lower the current. That's why the electric grid voltage is about 400 thousand volts and is then stepped down at the pole before going to your house to 240volts. The higher voltage allows for longer distance with a low current on the line.

 

[Myco]

Your answer is partially true, though your bill is calculated by the total kilowatt hours used, your meter determines the amount of kilowatts used by a coil. When current travels through a piece of wire, a magnetic field is created. As the current increases through the wire, the magnetic field increases. If you were to take another piece of wire and coil it around the wire which has current flowing through, you would find that the magnetic fields being generated would induce a voltage in the other wire wrapped around. Thus, this is how your electricity meter calculates the amount of kilowatts used. So, we can say, the amount of current flowing through the circuit is used to calculate kilowatts. So, the more current you use, the more your bill will be, the less, the less your bill will be. So, if the higher the voltage equals lower current, then using a higher voltage 240 will make the light more efficient because the light will use less current. Anytime you have the choice to operate an appliance on 120 or 240, 240 is more efficient because it uses less current to operate. Remember, the higher the voltage, the lower the current. That's why the electric grid voltage is about 400 thousand volts and is then stepped down at the pole before going to your house to 240volts. The higher voltage allows for longer distance with a low current on the line.

I hate to be harsh here, but don't resurrect a 3 year old thread just to supply misinformation. I'm not sure where you're getting your information from, but wattage is absolute. Period. Watts = volts / amps. The electric company bases your power consumption on KW/hr, and charges you per. As voltage increases, amps decrease. As voltage decreases, amps increase. If a 1000 watt HID light is rated 1000w, it will use 1000w worth of energy. That HID light will draw 4.16 amps when running on 240v, and 8.32 amps when running on 120v. 120(voltage) x 8.32(amps) = 1000(wattage), and 240(voltage) x 4.16(amps) = 1000(wattage. Essentially, that HID ballast is using more "work" while using less voltage, which equates to more amps being drawn, for 1000w worth of energy consumed. While a HID ballast is using less "work" when using more voltage, which equates to less amps being drawn, for 1000w worth of actual energy consumed. But this "work" is not actual energy used.

It sounds like you have electrical knowledge of some sort, but your mind seems to not be grasping the difference between current, which is measured in amps, and energy, which is measured in watts. Your power company charges you per the amount of energy consumed. Not current.

I don't mean to come off as a dick, but it seems a lot of people are confused by this and if I can help stop the spread of misinformation, I'm going to speak up.

So like somebody said, you can run more lights on a 240v 20 amp circuit than a 120v 20 amp circuit. Simple as that.

 

[Jalisco Kid]

He is right if you are say running 408v 3/phase. using large motors. The less (I forget the term here) the phase drifts the less you pay. Nothing to do with residential service. Going up from say 12 to ten,0r 10 to 8 is what I do. No worries of voltage drop and the differnce is the price of money is not that much. Unless you are running #2 or /o and have a decent run then I notice the fun tickets leaving my wallet. JK