LEDs or fluorescent light

[peterb]

I replaced 7 halogen spots in my kitchen with 240V LED lamps about 8 months ago - no problems. I also replace 3 MR16 12 V in a bathroom - well, only 2 out of three because the load was too low for the power supply, so I had to leave one 20W incandescent lamp in place.

[g8ina]

Interesting to see so much response from the OP though innit

[rox0r]

Two years ago I replaced 12 x GU10 in the kitchen, 4 x GU10 in the office, 4 x GU10 in the downstairs bathroom, 2 x GU10 in the utility room, 4 x GU10 in the spare bedroom and 5 x GU10 in the master bedroom all with Kosnic LED.

Not one of them has failed in two years, no dimming no startup problems no overheating. Very happy and you can't even tell the difference from halogen bulbs which I was most chuffed about.

[wasabi]

I replace 7 halogen spots in my kitchen with 240V LED lamps about 8 months ago - no problems. I also replace 3 MR16 12 V in a bathroom - well, only 2 out of three because the load was too low for the power supply, so I had to leave one 20W incandescent lamp in place.

Theoretically it might be worth replacing the old MR16 240-12v driver with a dedicated LED driver, ideally so that the driver is at 80 percent load for peak efficiency. Difficulty of course being how long it will take to pay off the investment (under £20 for a 20w ebay job)- to me having one lamp different would drive me 101 kinds of crazy and it would have to go... I've also read that a proper LED driver can prolong the LED bulb lifespan, but have no personal experience to back that up.

[peterb]

Theoretically it might be worth replacing the old MR16 240-12v driver with a dedicated LED driver, ideally so that the driver is at 80 percent load for peak efficiency. Difficulty of course being how long it will take to pay off the investment (under £20 for a 20w ebay job)- to me having one lamp different would drive me 101 kinds of crazy and it would have to go... I've also read that a proper LED driver can prolong the LED bulb lifespan, but have no personal experience to back that up.

It is on my to do list - but the bathroom light is on for a relatively short period of time (unless I forget to turn it off!) that I haven't bothered. As it is it has reduced the power consumption from 60 watts to 26. The kitchen is a greater saving (reduction from 350 watts to about 30) and are used more - especially in winter. Next one is a 300W halogen (on a dimmer in an uplighter) to be replaced with an LED lamp.

[Butcher]

Next one is a 300W halogen (on a dimmer in an uplighter) to be replaced with an LED lamp.

That an R7s halogen? I've not found any LED versions even close to as bright.

A quick check found an 18W LED producing 1350 Lm (not sure on dimmable), vs 4650 Lm for a 230W "energy saving" version of the 300W halogen.

[GoNz0]

It would seem Samsung have come up with a 240v AC 6w LED

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Driv.../dp/B00D5GE2AA


tempting!

even has a 60 degree beam instead of 35-40

[wasabi]

It would seem Samsung have come up with a 240v AC 6w LED

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Driv.../dp/B00D5GE2AA


tempting!

even has a 60 degree beam instead of 35-40

The interesting bit for me is this:

'Ledtrix Ultraled AC LED GU10's are completely driverless which means they are the first LED spotlights of their kind to not contain any internal electronic transformer which in turn gives the bulb a life of up to 50,000 hours'

Makes it a credible path for me instead of replacing more GU10s with MR16s to get around the blowing driver issue.

[herulach]

The interesting bit for me is this:

'Ledtrix Ultraled AC LED GU10's are completely driverless which means they are the first LED spotlights of their kind to not contain any internal electronic transformer which in turn gives the bulb a life of up to 50,000 hours'

Makes it a credible path for me instead of replacing more GU10s with MR16s to get around the blowing driver issue.

I can say with some certainty that they aren't driverless. They may well be transformerless, but even self rectifying designs will need to incorporate some form of current limiter.

My strong preference would be for big CCFLs everywhere. We've gone from 3 CCFLs fittings to 3 Quad GU10 ones in conjunction with a new kitchen, and the light is awful, even though the brightness is probably the same, its very directional, which is the problem with most LEDs I've seen although admittedly I haven't tried them out in a while.

[wasabi]

I can say with some certainty that they aren't driverless. They may well be transformerless, but even self rectifying designs will need to incorporate some form of current limiter.

My strong preference would be for big CCFLs everywhere. We've gone from 3 CCFLs fittings to 3 Quad GU10 ones in conjunction with a new kitchen, and the light is awful, even though the brightness is probably the same, its very directional, which is the problem with most LEDs I've seen although admittedly I haven't tried them out in a while.

I just ended up increasing the number of spots in our kitchen - simply increasing the number makes the directionality less weird looking. A LOT of work rewiring / making good, but the old 80s Artex was looking a bit trashy so time for a facelift anyway.

[herulach]

I just ended up increasing the number of spots in our kitchen - simply increasing the number makes the directionality less weird looking. A LOT of work rewiring / making good, but the old 80s Artex was looking a bit trashy so time for a facelift anyway.

Its livable with now i've installed under unit lights on the main work areas. Unfortunately SWMBO is a big believer in form over function. I only got her to go with 3 units in a triangle rather than 2 units in a line by telling her I'd need to rip the roof to bits to wire them, which is only a bit of a lie, although I may have slightly overestimated the cost/time commitments.

[peterb]

That an R7s halogen? I've not found any LED versions even close to as bright.

A quick check found an 18W LED producing 1350 Lm (not sure on dimmable), vs 4650 Lm for a 230W "energy saving" version of the 300W halogen.

The uplighter with the 300W halogen is usually dimmed down anyway, so that might not be an issue - but I'll probably hold off for a while and see how things develop.

[snedger]

Lidl have got LED spotlights for £3.99 - 1.3W cool white GU10 LED bulb. Bit fiddly to assemble and it turns out there are at least 2 colour choices for the shade - check out colour of box.
A good cheap way to demo LED lighting.
More than bright enough for bedside lamp.

[cam1986]

Its amazing how much you can save by replacing bulbs with LED ones. Ok, the initial cost is high but the long term savings are worth that cost. Gradually replacing all the bulbs in my house.

[chiok]

I work with LED strips at work and I can say that, for their size and power usage they are much brighter than traditional fluorescent light bulbs, but the main thing is that they can come in almost any colour!

[Butcher]

Quick update: I sprung for a few philips 2700K very warm white LEDs. Some small stuff for wall mounted lights (SES fitting) and a couple to replace ceiling lights. The ceiling fit lights are 12W and claim 806 lumens, and a 60W equiv. I fitted one side by side with a 60W incandescent (two ceiling roses in the room) and I could not tell them apart by eye. I reckon philips have pretty much nailed it there.