spotlight virgin

siocledpoeth

i want to instal spots in my kitchen. should i opt for low energy, 12v or240?

ozskin

having sold both for many years a sparky will invariably tell you 240 but i would only ever recommend 12v. yes a little only a little more fiddly to install, only use fully electronic self resetting thermal cutout transformers, and no corner cutting here. then you will have much brighter lights a 50w low voltage is significantly brighter that 50w mains, much lower operating temps and bulbs that should last for years and not days. here again sealed diochroic bulbs. cosider tiltable spots. but make sure you have at least 2 different types of lighting in the kitchen.

Avoriaz

I agree with ozskin.

We installed 230 volt ceiling spotlights in our kitchen and bathroom in 1993 and we regret not going for low voltage. The R80 bulbs are not cheap and don’t seem to last very long. The fittings overheat and develop regular faults.

One day soon I will remove the lot and install a decent low voltage system.

I use low energy bubs in various places but I don't know how suitable they are for kitchen spots.

siocledpoeth

many thanks, wil look into low voltage

Moneymaker

ozskin wrote:

a 50w low voltage is significantly brighter that 50w mains

How does that work? Where does the energy go if it's not converted into visible light?

Also, transformers are not 100% efficient so if you use a 12 volt transformer, you'll use at least 20% more energy to get your 50 Watts into each bulb. (The wasted energy goes off as heat from the transformer).

FWIW spot lights give me a headache. I can't bear bright pinpoints of light. I have to use fluorescents. They are much more energy efficient. With the cost of electricity spiralling upwards, you might like to consider energy efficiency.

ozskin

moneymaker you try it they really are. the at least 20% is not correct also it depends on the type and quality of trans. I am sorry if you get headaches but for most of the population they are a desirable and attractive solution. Also cost of light is not just elec consumption, replacement bulbs etc, so you need to consider the whole cost cycle.

rgee_2

I fitted a couple of these in our kitchen:

http://www.lightingworld.co.uk/content.php/51020538?ref=JC5090

They look great and use far less power, only things to note are they take a short while to warm up to full brightness (as with any other compact fluorescent), and they need quite a deep space above them.