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Low energy lighting
Numerous people are now looking to either replace or modify their existing 50watt halogen downlights. Until earlier this year options were limited, however, a number of new products have now arrived on the market. There a basically 3 choices:
- Upgrade the fitting to take a high power LED
- Upgrade the fitting to accept a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL)
- Install replacement fittigs
LEDs have number of pros. Each one only consumes 5 watts of power and the lamps are lifed between 30,000 and 50,000 hours. These advantages do come at a cost, expect to pay iro £25.00 for a branded, quality lamp such as "Deltech". LED GU10s are a direct replacement for a GU10 50 watt halogen lamp. The light is instantaneous, unlike a CFL, as there is no warm up period. These lamps are about as Eco friendly as you can get. Most Halogen GU10s last somewhere between 1-2K hours depending on the number of times they are switched and cost approximately £2.00 to replace. It doesn't take long to do the maths, does it? In 30,000 hours you will need to replace a Halogen lamp up to 30 times, in fact it's a bit of a no-brainer. MR16 halogen lamps can also be replaced with MR16 LED equivalents, however you also need to fit an appropriate power LED driver as MR16 LED lamps work best with power drivers followed by toroidal transformers. They will also work with the majority of electronic transformers but their life span will be approximately halved. The drivers come in different ratings and a 30 watt driver will cost iro £23.00. If you require your LED lighting to be dimmable this can also be achieved using a dimmable LED driver. So forget all the old wives tales about being unable to dim LEDs, because you can with this product.
Also remember that colour tempreture is very important, cool white means just that. A standard halogen lamp's colour tempreture equates to "warm white" in LED terms. Cool white looks out of place in the average domestic kitchen
Add to this the  of 45 watts of energy saved per fitting and you have a very convincing argument. The negative is reaching into your pocket! You can, of course, change a few at a time and stagger the pain. Remember halogen lamps develop a large amount of heat so it is wise to check the ceiling fitting and supply cable for damage should you decide to upgrade. If you would prefer on site advice and a health check please contact us to arrange an appointment.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps are a cheaper option. Lasting around 8-10K hours a 8 -11 watt CFL will cost iro £12.00. These lamps do have a warm up period but if used in a kitchen or high traffic area will probably not be switched on and off too frequently. Some CFLs are longer than a 50 watt halogen lamp and therefore protrude slightly from the downlight fitting. If your fitting are the type with a circlip to retain the lamp then CFLs will not fit. CFLs are a reasonably economical alternative to Halogen GU10s. "Megaman" market a highly reliable and competitive Halogen GU10 replacement which is worth considering. In our opinion you should go for the LED option, but if cost is an issue CFLs provide a effective alternative.
This link is to The Electrical Safety Council's website, it concerns the fire risks that arise from incorrectly fitted downlights or downlights that have been overlaid by loft insulation. It's well worth a read as most registered electricians are deeply concerned by the current trend to install additional loft insulation with little regard for the properties electrical safety. This problem is going to become more apparent over the next few years, make sure that you are safe.
We obviously undertake all lighting modifications and upgrades so please "contact us" with any requirements which you may have. |
