Replacing halogen spotlights with LED

[Astraeus]

Hi,

I am in a new build apartment and the standard-fit GU10 halogen spotlights are going at a rate which makes replacement an expensive business indeed - 10 have gone in the first month. I've decided it might well be better to replace the lights with longer-lasting and more efficient LED lights but I understand there is a major hit in terms of luminescence when switching to LEDs.

I have six main spotlights in the kitchen arranged in two rows of three and then the two which need replacing on the underside of a head-height cabinet. These lights are used for lighting up the food preparation surfaces. Beyond that, all three lights in the en-suite bathroom have gone. Furthermore, a single light of the two in the hallway has also gone.

In replacing these halogen lights with LEDs, will they still be workable or will they simply be too dim? I suppose the other alternative is to stock up on halogens and suffer the inconvenience of having to change the bulbs regularly but this is far from ideal.

Thanks.

[xnetco]

I could just be cheap bulbs.

[Astraeus]

They're ~£5.50 each so not cheap for halogen lights!

[Johnny Thunder]

£5.50 each.

Are you buying them from B&Q or somewhere similar?

[Astraeus]

Originally Posted by Johnny Thunder

£5.50 each.

Are you buying them from B&Q or somewhere similar?

That was the price our property management company told us they paid - I didn't incur any of the expenses of replacing them until now. I've not bought them and I've seen them for £3 but I'd need to put delivery on top of that. I just feel like, with one that was replaced only a fortnight ago having gone already, LEDs will be a lot less troublesome. Am I better off just keeping on buying halogen lights and expect to pay up at least £50 by the end of the tenancy?

[Johnny Thunder]

If you have a local Electrical Wholesaler, you should be paying around £1 each for a good quality lamp.

[The Dude]

Ask Stuart Wright.

[Astraeus]

Thanks very much, The Dude. From where did you get your lights and at what price?

[MitsiTurbo]

Do you have any photos of how these LED ones look 'Dude'?

[N42]

Tlc do these, I bought some but yet to fit.

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...Led/index.html

[megabit]

hmmm - dirty mains. Hadn't thought of that one but could explain some issues I've been seeing.

Bulb manufacturer for GU10s does seem to make a huge difference - bought some GE ones that lasted all of a couple of weeks. Bought Osram Halopar next and haven't replaced any since (months!)

Will have to try LED soon

[johntheexpat]

FWIW, there is a thread in the Global warming thread about LEDs that I got from Lidls in France (Those pesky Lidl LEDs).

The light from these, I found, to be 'whiter' but much less intense than normal halogens. Availability is a problem, as Lidls had a stock which sold out quite quickly and hasn't been replaced. Also another DIY chain has come up with a three pack of LEDs (8.90€ for three) which were cheaper than Lidls and had 20 lLEDs per bulb as compared to 18 for Lidls. So the technology is pushing ahead, the price appears to be falling, but availability seems to be a problem.

Lidls did sell 12V versions as well, which were a lot of fun. They use so little power that I could lump 8 AA batteries together and they worked, which made for a very portable little light. (and also gave me a use for all those batteries from my digital camera which were only half used but without enough oomph for the camera)

As for dimmability, I don't have a dimmer to test them with, but the 12V did give different levels of light depending on the voltage. ie when I connected it up to a battery charger, it was brighter than when connected to the rechargeable battery itself. With the AA batteries in series, it worked with 7 in series, was better with 8 and even brighter with 9 or 10.

I love the fact that at 1W you can put these bulbs almost anywhere without having to worry about overheating etc. Even to the extent that we now have a well by the house that is lit from the bottom up by one of the 12V bulbs. (Very pretty, until someone leans over too far and falls in.)

Hope this is of some help

[waxdart]

LED Vs GU10.
Where in the house are you going to use them?

Last year I bought 3x1.4watt LED lights to replace 3x50watt GU10 lamps.

I use them in the hall, which is all they are good for.

The beam of light LED bulbs I have is very narrow (get wide as you can).
It is also very "blue/white" a bit clinical.

I wouldn't want to read using the light. I wouldn't want to sit in the light.
I wouldn't want to do anything in the kitchen using the light.

However, if you need a light thats going to be on most of the time and just shows you where not to put you feet. A hallway for example. They are great.

I bought simple LED lamps from robertdyas. I would recommend looking about for better LED lamps for wider beams and nicer lighting colour.

Hope this helps.

[Astraeus]

All of the fittings are sunken into the ceiling - will that be a problem vis-a-vis the directionality?

[Astraeus]

I'll try and get some plans drawn up over the next week to show you how it looks but I'm just going to opt for LEDs over Christmas, they seem well-recommended enough.