Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

anern

saving-energy for led lights

CharlieBilly

:spam: in post 32

MikeyMacbeth

Ok, been doing some sums this week and have just ordered my first batch of LED's.

Plan is that now I've identified the main suspects that need replacing in the house I'm starting with the most expensive to run lights first and swapping them out .

For spreadsheet fans I've uploaded the spreadsheet I've been using to do my sums with to google docs here - would welcome some feedback from advanced Excel gurus if I've made any major errors there!

There's a couple of fittings I'm struggling to find direct suitable replacements for:-

• dimmable GU10 Mains powered spots roughly equiv to a 50W halogen - cheapest I've found so far is these at £19.14 each - I need 5 so not cheap! Will I need to change the dimmer as well?
• dimmable G9 Capsules of a very small size again to replace some halogen G9 capsules at 40W each - need 5 of these. Almost there is these but they are slightly too large for the fitting...

Any ideas anyone?

harryhound

It is interesting to see those "square" surfaced LED's catching on. I believe they were a British development about 4 years ago.

harryhound

MikeyMacbeth wrote: »

• dimmable G9 Capsules of a very small size again to replace some halogen G9 capsules at 40W each - need 5 of these. Almost there is these but they are slightly too large for the fitting...

Any ideas anyone?

I think halogen fittings taking tiny bulbs should be withdrawn from sale,
however much an interior designer thinks the effect is the bees knees.

I very much doubt that it will be possible to shrink airport runway lights, with special heat reflective coatings, down to the size of a dinky little sugar cube by 2015, at a price that can be afforded.

[I'll just have to stock up on the present G9 bulbs before they are withdrawn from sale.]

Ben84

harryhound wrote: »

I think halogen fittings taking tiny bulbs should be withdrawn from sale,
however much an interior designer thinks the effect is the bees knees.

I very much doubt that it will be possible to shrink airport runway lights, with special heat reflective coatings, down to the size of a dinky little sugar cube by 2015, at a price that can be afforded.

[I'll just have to stock up on the present G9 bulbs before they are withdrawn from sale.]

Halogen bulbs are already roughly 30% more efficient than ordinary filament lamps, making them a better choice. Not as efficient as fluorescent bulbs though. However there are new G9 bulbs that are 20% more efficient than the ordinary G9 bulbs, making them greatly more efficient than the regular filament bulbs. It looks like a 33w new high efficiency G9 emits roughly as much light as an old 60w incandescent bulb.

The new high efficiency halogen bulbs may just get ahead of the impending stages of the lightbulb ban as they come in over the following years, so we may be able to buy halogen bulbs for some time yet.

Surmston

The EST has some good advice energy saving lightbulbs - we'ev just chanegd to LEDS though as they are might to be the best.

S.

harryhound

Ben84 wrote: »

Halogen bulbs are already roughly 30% more efficient than ordinary filament lamps, making them a better choice. Not as efficient as fluorescent bulbs though. However there are new G9 bulbs that are 20% more efficient than the ordinary G9 bulbs, making them greatly more efficient than the regular filament bulbs. It looks like a 33w new high efficiency G9 emits roughly as much light as an old 60w incandescent bulb.

The new high efficiency halogen bulbs may just get ahead of the impending stages of the lightbulb ban as they come in over the following years, so we may be able to buy halogen bulbs for some time yet.

The new improved halogen bulbs get us through the 2012 mandatory increase in efficiency.
To meet the 2016 standard requires the present technology, used for aircraft runway lights, to be scaled down to work in one of those tiny "headlamp" bulbs. This is a technique that uses special glass and a magic layer that partially reflects the non visible radiation back onto the filament (thus helping to keep it white hot).

[Just for the non technical, (like me) "halogen" enables an ordinary hot wire filament to "burn" at a white hot (rather than yellow hot) temperature. As the filament "burns" away the red hot temperature of the "glass" enables the halogen gas to reabsorb the "soot", that is depositing on the inside of the bulb. It makes a compound gas that, when it returns to the filament, gets hot enough to redeposit the metal back onto the filament - magic!]

Ben84

harryhound wrote: »

The new improved halogen bulbs get us through the 2012 mandatory increase in efficiency.
To meet the 2016 standard requires the present technology, used for aircraft runway lights, to be scaled down to work in one of those tiny "headlamp" bulbs. This is a technique that uses special glass and a magic layer that partially reflects the non visible radiation back onto the filament (thus helping to keep it white hot).

[Just for the non technical, (like me) "halogen" enables an ordinary hot wire filament to "burn" at a white hot (rather than yellow hot) temperature. As the filament "burns" away the red hot temperature of the "glass" enables the halogen gas to reabsorb the "soot", that is depositing on the inside of the bulb. It makes a compound gas that, when it returns to the filament, gets hot enough to redeposit the metal back onto the filament - magic!]

The main point about the new more efficient halogen bulbs is that the selective coating reflects some of the non-visible light (mainly infra-red) back in in to the filament where it helps heat it further. It's something like a one-way mirror wrapped around the filament. Some of these coated bulbs are already available as G9 bulbs and can be bought in shops. So, no need for new technology, you can already buy a 33w halogen that's a good replacement for a 60w incandescent. The range of shapes and bases available could be better though, I've not yet seen any with a bayonet base.

harryhound

All clear replacement bulbs must have a minimum B class energy efficiency rating from 1 September 2016. Replacement conventional halogen bulbs with a C class energy efficiency rating will be banned.

http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/businesses/111486.aspxNot sure about the price though.