LED Lighting

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1923 posts

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#566657 9-Jan-2012 21:16

I've recently moved into a house that was completely fitted out with 100w reflector downlights.... dozens of them...
Have replaced them with a mixed brand bag of simple CFL lamps (that I had), and have purchased a selection of reflector type CFL and a couple of LEDs for evaluation. There's a great price range out there for similar spec'd products, and interestingly I found New World had better prices on Phillips CFL reflectors (which is the way I'm leaning) than any of the big home improvement chains.

The LED units at $20+ are 3 times the price of other suitable reflector CFL's for only a marginal power improvement me thinks.

timmmay

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#566658 9-Jan-2012 21:20

Downlights generally let crazy amounts of heat escape. A dozen of them, if they're not sealed insulated types and rated for that, mean you'll be spending a fortune to heat the place.

richms

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#566659 9-Jan-2012 21:20

No warmup time on LEDs is fantastic tho, particually in sensor lights in winter - the par38 CFLs are totally useless because the come on at nightlight levels for the first 20-30 seconds. Blame the greenies for limiting mercury levels for the useless warmup times.

Richard rich.ms

richms

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#566661 9-Jan-2012 21:22

timmmay: Downlights generally let crazy amounts of heat escape. A dozen of them, if they're not sealed insulated types and rated for that, mean you'll be spending a fortune to heat the place.

Yeah but in a typical low ceiling NZ crap house, what else can you have that wont intrude into the room noticibly? Only thing really are those hopeless button lights and 4-5 of those across a room to get decent coverage would just look stupid.

Even downlights suck with low cielings, the tops of walls are all dark so the place looks smaller than it is. IMO the bare 150W lamp (or 2-3) still gives the best overall lighting, its just butt ugly.

Richard rich.ms

mattwnz

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#566665 9-Jan-2012 21:50

freitasm: There you go... We use Philips in all out light fittings here. More expensive than Woolworths Home Brand, but it's a brand I've known and trust.

I have found osram to be the best in terms of colour and length of life. I installed a house lot in 2000, and most are still working today. Have also tried ecobulbs and most of those only lasted a few years, and they were very disappointing as many of those 'hummed'. Philips are ok, but they still die earlier than the osram ones. But osram do cost a lot more. They do tend to lose their brightness over time.

timmmay

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#566672 9-Jan-2012 21:59

richms:
timmmay: Downlights generally let crazy amounts of heat escape. A dozen of them, if they're not sealed insulated types and rated for that, mean you'll be spending a fortune to heat the place.

Yeah but in a typical low ceiling NZ crap house, what else can you have that wont intrude into the room noticibly? Only thing really are those hopeless button lights and 4-5 of those across a room to get decent coverage would just look stupid.

Even downlights suck with low cielings, the tops of walls are all dark so the place looks smaller than it is. IMO the bare 150W lamp (or 2-3) still gives the best overall lighting, its just butt ugly.

I replaced my downlights with dome lights that are about 5-8cm deep and 25cm diameter. That's not much. I have a really high stud though.

The attitude of appearance over function (insulation) is why NZ homes are so cold and damp. We're not a tropical country, we're a cold country for a lot of the year, and effective insulation keeps us healthy, warm, and saves money.

Regs

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#566697 9-Jan-2012 23:13

i put some LED replacements for GU10 halogens into the over-bed wall spots in the kids rooms. after a couple of hours, you can still touch them and they are just warm. a very good solution for safe lighting and worth the higher price in there.

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SepticSceptic

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#567322 11-Jan-2012 12:50

Regs: i put some LED replacements for GU10 halogens into the over-bed wall spots in the kids rooms. after a couple of hours, you can still touch them and they are just warm. a very good solution for safe lighting and worth the higher price in there.

How much was your LED version of the GU-10 ?

I have a halogen GU-10 at the roof level of a stairwell that's a royal pain in the butt to replace. Involves balancing a long ladder wedged between a stair step and a wall, and downright dangerous if it all collapses .. and seems to require replacing on a yearly basis. Gets turned off / on a fair bit each day.

Stupid place to install a light fitting - at the roof-level of a stairwell !!!

Skolink

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#567347 11-Jan-2012 13:28

oxnsox: The LED units at $20+ are 3 times the price of other suitable reflector CFL's for only a marginal power improvement me thinks.

Have you been looking at any specific ones? What is the light output, as $20 is a good price if it is 850lumen or so.

Regs

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Snowflake

#567349 11-Jan-2012 13:31

SepticSceptic:
Regs: i put some LED replacements for GU10 halogens into the over-bed wall spots in the kids rooms. after a couple of hours, you can still touch them and they are just warm. a very good solution for safe lighting and worth the higher price in there.

How much was your LED version of the GU-10 ?

I have a halogen GU-10 at the roof level of a stairwell that's a royal pain in the butt to replace. Involves balancing a long ladder wedged between a stair step and a wall, and downright dangerous if it all collapses .. and seems to require replacing on a yearly basis. Gets turned off / on a fair bit each day.

Stupid place to install a light fitting - at the roof-level of a stairwell !!!

i think i paid about $20 at mitre 10 mega. there were a few different options there. Given that my 3yo had burned herslef once before on the halo, i would even have paid double that to make it 'safe' :-)

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jim.cox

224 posts

Master Geek

#567354 11-Jan-2012 13:48

I've just been down at Mt Cook National Park

The public facilities in the Whitehorse Hill Campground are lit by solar powered LED strips. About 15 or 18 Leds per strip. They seem to work very well

Looks like they would be a good solution for an 'off-grid' dwelling.

=mjc=
.

mthand

148 posts

Master Geek

#567538 11-Jan-2012 19:38

I caught this interesting topic for the first time yesterday and thought I had seen something recently in the Herald about the prospect of subsidies of LED bulbs.

Lo and behold an article in today's herald linked to that particular article and thought I would link it here.

Note it only mentions subsidies of the bulbs and not the fittings, and it was only a possibility, but maybe someone here has more up to date info than this

richms

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#567544 11-Jan-2012 20:03

Where does it mention subsidies of the LED lamps? A pathetic 7w LED lamp is already around $20 at bunnings, its just they are too dim to really be any use other than as decorative.

Richard rich.ms

oxnsox

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#567615 11-Jan-2012 21:45

Skolink:
oxnsox: The LED units at $20+ are 3 times the price of other suitable reflector CFL's for only a marginal power improvement me thinks.

Have you been looking at any specific ones? What is the light output, as $20 is a good price if it is 850lumen or so.

The unit I have is a VIRIBRIGHT 11watt, 400 lumen. It's OK over the Dinning Table where I have it.
Advantage of the LED unit over CFL E27 reflector units is that it doesn't sit proud of the downlight fitting.

richms

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#567625 11-Jan-2012 22:02

oxnsox:
Skolink:
oxnsox: The LED units at $20+ are 3 times the price of other suitable reflector CFL's for only a marginal power improvement me thinks.

Have you been looking at any specific ones? What is the light output, as $20 is a good price if it is 850lumen or so.

The unit I have is a VIRIBRIGHT 11watt, 400 lumen. It's OK over the Dinning Table where I have it.
Advantage of the LED unit over CFL E27 reflector units is that it doesn't sit proud of the downlight fitting.

That seems really low for 11 watts, LEDs are approching 100 lumans/watt in real life and well over that in the labs, so under 40 is low I would think.

Richard rich.ms

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