Energy Saving Spot Lights LED

EdinburghGuy_2

Hi Everyone, I was looking for some energy saving spot light and it is a nightmare.

First you have the choice of LED, 3mm, 5mm, SMD, etc.
Second you need to choose the colour temperature,
Finally the number of LED and equivalent luminance.

Plus i read somewhere that you can't replace all your spotlights with LED ones as some circuits send a minimum of 20W, therefore reducing the light life.

So I was wondering if any techie would help me with these? I'm so confused.

Hammyman

OK...LED 3mm, 5mm, SMD are all referring to the same thing, a light emitting diode. The 3mm and 5mm is the size of each LED and SMD refers to the very miniature surface mount designs which are flat squares compared to domed shape of the 3mm and 5mm ones. The number of LEDs, the size and shape is fairly meaningless and its the equivalent luminescence which is important as thats how bright it is.

You can use them anywhere except with dimmer switches.

newbie1980

Hammyman wrote: »

OK...LED 3mm, 5mm, SMD are all referring to the same thing, a light emitting diode. The 3mm and 5mm is the size of each LED and SMD refers to the very miniature surface mount designs which are flat squares compared to domed shape of the 3mm and 5mm ones. The number of LEDs, the size and shape is fairly meaningless and its the equivalent luminescence which is important as thats how bright it is.

You can use them anywhere except with dimmer switches.

Hi
Denmans do a fit and forget led spot in either dimmerble or non dimmerble (HALERS LIGHTING)
these arent cheap but look the buisness and give out alot more light then the led bulbs in a spot fitting
this is because the driver is seperate and not in the bulb
hope this helps

dave

fwor

newbie1980 wrote: »

this is because the driver is seperate and not in the bulb

If it's low-voltage and the driver is separate, doesn't this mean that you have to replace the existing transformer, or at least add something between it and the fitting?

If you're lucky and the light was fitted with plenty of spare cable then you might wangle that from below, but otherwise that's not going to be trivial, depending on whether there is access from above.

moonrakerz

newbie1980 wrote: »

Hi
Denmans do a fit and forget led spot in either dimmerble or non dimmerble (HALERS LIGHTING)
these arent cheap but look the buisness and give out alot more light then the led bulbs in a spot fitting
this is because the driver is seperate and not in the bulb
hope this helps

fwor wrote: »

If it's low-voltage and the driver is separate, doesn't this mean that you have to replace the existing transformer, or at least add something between it and the fitting?

I am having these fitted in my kitchen at the moment. They are non-repairable - but come with a 7 year guarantee and an estimated life of 75,000 hrs. The driver is separate from the LED housing, but is not "separatable" - if you see what I mean ! There is one driver per unit, which is about the size of a box of Swan Vestas.
They run off the mains (110VAC to 240VAC) so no additional units are required and use 7.9W each unit.

They are about £40 each (non-dim) but really are "fit and forget".

My electrician did all the cabling yesterday and is coming back Thursday to install the lights after I have had the whole kitchen ceiling re-plastered (NOT because of him !! :rotfl::rotfl:)

patman99

OP, you didn't say which type of fitting you need. If GU10, then look for CREE LED 3w x 3 Warm White (if you want a similar light colour to regular bulbs) or Cool White (if you want the equivalent of sunlight through a pane of glass).

I use the Cool Whites, they work superbly well, and at 9w per bulb, I'm saving £13.23 p/bulb p/year on my energy bill. They also do not heat-up the room either.
You just have to remember that the brightest LEDs are only 390 Lumens compared to 450 Lumens on a standard 50w halogen bulb.

BTW, they make great studio lights for photographic work as the Cool Whites are in the daylight spectrum so photos are perfectly white-balanced.

moonrakerz

patman99 wrote: »

You just have to remember that the brightest LEDs are only 390 Lumens

Oh !



..............Halers brochure.

newbie1980

moonrakerz wrote: »

Oh !



..............Halers brochure.

Hi All

im a electrician and i asked the question about Lm

it is because of the set up of the halers lights that makes them better light
the bulbs u fit into existing fittings do have a lesser lm because the driver has to be in the bulb

Scoobs72

patman99 wrote: »

You just have to remember that the brightest LEDs are only 390 Lumens compared to 450 Lumens on a standard 50w halogen bulb.

Errmm....that's not correct at all. A 50W halogen outputs about 800-950 Lumens. The most powerful GU10 LEDs currently available output 720lm cool white, approx 520lm warm white.

LEDlighting

Scoobs72 wrote: »

Errmm....that's not correct at all. A 50W halogen outputs about 800-950 Lumens. The most powerful GU10 LEDs currently available output 720lm cool white, approx 520lm warm white.

Lumens readings alone are not an accurate way to decide what replaces what. There are a whole host of other factors that come into it, the main ones being;

1) The Lux readings
2) The Beam Angle
3) Your ceiling height

LED bulbs do not need to equal the lumens of a traditional bulb in order to replace them as the lights given off an LED is more efficient and focused.

LEDlighting

EdinburghGuy wrote: »

Hi Everyone, I was looking for some energy saving spot light and it is a nightmare.

First you have the choice of LED, 3mm, 5mm, SMD, etc.
Second you need to choose the colour temperature,
Finally the number of LED and equivalent luminance.

Plus i read somewhere that you can't replace all your spotlights with LED ones as some circuits send a minimum of 20W, therefore reducing the light life.

So I was wondering if any techie would help me with these? I'm so confused.

Hi

Forget about 3mm, 5mm, SMD etc, all the LED packages in our units (make sure your retailers are the same) are purpose designed and manufactured as a specific package, they are not traditional LEDs as you know them. In simplified terms for traditional halogen 35w and 50w spots there are comparable direct like for like LED alternatives, 5w and 7w, if you want to replace a 35w halogen choose the 5w LED version, and the 7w version for 50w

Your only choice is to decide


a) what colour temperature you require, ww (warm white which is the direct equivalent for the golden glow of the existing halogen) or cw (cool white which is a bluish daylight colour) and generally has a slightly greater illuminating ability; ideal for kitchens.

b) what operating voltage you require, mains 220/240v AC (GU10 fitting) or low voltage 12v AC/DC (GU 5.3 fitting)



Your query with regards 20w is a little confusing but I think you might be talking about the power supply that provides the 12v for the low voltage lamp units. Some of the power supplies in use are not particularly good at voltage regulation and require a minimum load from the lamp(s)! (the 20w you are talking about). If the lamp load is less than this figure then the voltage will increase resulting in possible reduction of LED life and most certain reduction when the traditional halogen units are used.

Effectively this means that if you are using LED replacement spots you should use a minimum of 4 off 5w units or 3 off 7w units powered from the same transformer unit in order to provide the required minimum load. The LED units supplied by us (and most top LED retailers) have a tolerance with regards the supply voltage and a variation from the nominal 12v does not alter the light level thanks to the inbuilt stabilization circuitry.

If you are replacing the higher voltage 220/240 spots with LED units there is no minimum loading to be taken into account.



Regards