Down light replacement with low energy globes

• 

  mskeggs on 15/02/2013 - 14:09

  +2

  If you have transformers, you almost certainly need globes with a MR16 connection.
  I first did this a couple of years ago, I found that the LED replacements were too dim.
  So I took out my transformers and moved to a Gu10 240v connector.
  This allowed me to use special CFL bulbs. They were OK, but took 10 seconds or more to reach full brightness (my wife used to tell me to 'turn on the darks').
  Most of these have given up the ghost, and I replaced them with 3w & 5w warm white LEDs (not much difference in brightness, I think lots of the 5w ones are mislabelled).
  I order these from Deal Extreme, based on price and customer reviews.
  I typically order a few with recent reviews saying they are good with a price around $6. About 1 in 5 of these have been duds that burnt out within 12 months. Based on that, I don't think there is any reason to pay for the dearer $20 and up versions available in specialist shops.
  The standard halogens use a bit over 50w, or about 1.5c an hour at 30c a kWh.
  The LEDs use under 1/10 that, so the replacement will pay for itself in about 400 hours of use.

  So my recommendation is to buy 2 or 3 of a few different types from DX.com, write the date on the side of each, and put them in your most used lights. See how the rest of your house likes them, and see which are brighest, then order another batch of the best ones to replace less used lights.
  I use DX.com because you stand a chance of being able to re-order the same item, and you can read reviews.

  If you really want to get geeky about it, Whirlpool has a 100s of comments long thread on it.
  I'd probably give this one a go:
  http://dx.com/p/mr16-5w-3800k-450lm-5-led-warm-white-light-b…
  and this:
  http://dx.com/p/mr16-3w-3500k-270-lumen-3-led-warm-white-lig…

• 

  steviee on 15/02/2013 - 15:02

  "turn on the darks"

• 

  WallyC on 15/02/2013 - 16:11

  I am interested in replacing my whole house with the LED down lights. I find that as long as you don't place the LED ones next to the traditional halogen ones, you won't really know the difference. All the ones I got are 4W MR16.

  One issues I am finding however is that there are some that flashes after 10 minutes of being on. Am looking into getting the 240v ones and replace all my transformers.

  PS. Just a warning on the 5W ones. They are slightly longer than normal, which might cause issue if your heat-cap doesn't cater for that length lightbulbs.

• 

  thereyougo on 16/02/2013 - 07:47

  I replaced all 24 of our halogens with 4watt led downlights. I chose the pure white colour as these are 4500-5000k and are easier to read with, warm white are a bit dull.
  My halogens used the non electronic transformer so there was no problem with flashing or pulsing.
  I purchased these from eBay at about $2.60 ea from China, where most electronics are made!
  They have saved buckets loads of cash but to save even more I will replace them all with gu10 as these don't use a transformer, straight 240, transformers aren't very efficient especially the older style.
  I purchased my 4watt led downlights several years ago when light shops were asking $80+ ea light kit, rip off, that's what made me go online, how much profit do these people want to make?

• 

  ShortyX on 16/02/2013 - 08:54

  How do you guys find the brightness and beam angle of the cheap LED downlights?

  We're building a house and thinking of getting decent LED downlights with good brightness and a 90 degree beam angle. These have had really good reviews:

  http://www.lightingillusions.com.au/shop/114/7583/atom-13w-l…

  • 

    andyman1908 on 16/02/2013 - 12:42

    Theres a real good thread on whirlpool that has a spreadsheet that has real life photos of how a range of leds perform. I was keen to try out some cheapies but wont waste my time checking that out. looks like you need to spedn atleast $20 for ones that output decent enough brightness and beam angle.

    Some were really terrible!

  • 

    mskeggs on 16/02/2013 - 17:20

    Recessed downlights are a disaster for energy use. With halogens, each one uses >$30 p.a. in power charges (6hrs a day @30c kWh). Cutting a hole in the ceiling breaks the seal for air movement, allowing the heating you use in winter to go up to the roof, potentially adding hundreds of dollars to your heating bill.
    If you really want spots, use the exposed tracks or wires, so your ceiling integrity is maintained. E.g. http://www.lightingillusions.com.au/shop/110/6053/eridan-5w-…

    And only use LEDs!

    • 

      ShortyX on 17/02/2013 - 08:14

      Given the choice, I'd still choose downlights.

• 

  andyman1908 on 16/02/2013 - 09:06

  I'm in the same boat but have done a bit of research on this already. One thing to note is that the cheaper leds are definately not comparable to the more expensive ones. The brightgreens (dr700) are generally considered the best to use if your after similiar 50w halogen performance. They retail for about 50bucks a pop but seem to worth the expense as you wont be happy with the brightness and high failure rate of the cheapies.

  • 

    mskeggs on 16/02/2013 - 17:16

    This is a bit misleading. The 4w cheap leds are a good real world replacement for halogens. Sure, put them next to each other and the leds are noticeably less bright, but they give plenty of light for use day to day, even in kitchens which need good light.
    The power in one 50w halogen in a kitchen for 6hours a day (my dark kitchen has them on in the day too, quite often in winter) is over $30 per annum.
    Spend $5 to try out a cheap one yourself and you could save hundreds of dollars p.a across your whole house if they are adequate for you.

    • 

      ShortyX on 27/02/2013 - 22:33

      What about beam angles though? The cheapies tend to have a narrow beam angle.

      • 

        andyman1908 on 28/02/2013 - 14:35

        Your right Stix. From what I read, you wouldnt want anything less than 60 degree beam angle otherwise it'll have a spotlight effect. Some of the cheapies claim a 60degree beam angle but nearly all dont get close to that in reality.

        Head over to whirpool forums and search gu10 led comparison and check out the spreadsheet that one of the members compiled it has lots of info (including prices) and real life pics to help you compare.

        Also with what mskeggs said above, in my opinion, when I'm making the effort to swap over halogens to LEDs I would want them to be atleast comparable. I don't want the LEDs to be "noticeably less bright" if that was the case, I wouldn't bother swapping them over. I'm used to a certain performance of my halogens globes (especially when going from halogen to LEDs)and wouldn't heavily compromise that just in the name of energy saving.

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  steviee on 21/02/2013 - 12:56

  hi guys thanks to all contributors, looks like i need to read it all thoroughly and digest, and they maybe take a punt, but don't worry i won't be punting on $50 a globe. thanks again