Downlights

my electrician just said the same (based on what he was told only)
does anyone actually have some installed?

these are $40 plus you have to buy the fitting on top of this $10?

beacon lighting said they can get in dimmeable
may be able to get them in now
but its a new untested product
price around the same as above approx far as I know
they said light in cfl is fine

dimmeable halogens are only $13 I think
so its a big commitment to get the cfls throughout?

Dynamictiger wrote


Best approach there is DT.

re the CFL 11w - There have a been a few reviews of various lights in the renew mag of late- grab a copy and see what they say.
Steve

I was reading that a cfl light will save you an estimated $12 over a year
over a halogen light so within a few years the difference in initial costs is made up, plus youre helping the environment yay!

also read the cfl give out a wider light than halogen which is more directional

given I hate standard flourescent lights (so strong and bright eek!)
are cfl's anything like that? presumably and hopefully not

Bec wrote


Bec your lucky - the CFL's are not like the stark old strip fluros of old.

They are not the same as Halogen, BUT they are lots cheaper to run.

Some CFLs come in cool white, warm white and other colours so find one that you like the look of in the shop, and with some reflectors etc, they can be made to do a similar task.

running costs.
1 x 50w Halogen is said to cost on average $10 per year to run.
1 x CFL of the same Lumens (which is light output) is about $2.30 per year to run.

More info here.



Steve

Based on what we saw, we found the opposite - that CFL downlights were not as bright, and not as wide of a beam (they basically only shone straight down).
We ended up going for the usual halogens at this stage, and once the technology improves we will look at swapping over.

Ray.

do cfl's emit more emf's

Bec wrote


Yes

But hey - emf, versus to many solar rays - hmm - we can find the balance.
If the emf's can be kept to a minimum - and far enough away - then I think it is a good compromise

Steve

hmmm..Im now back to wondering about led lights instead....

where do they fit into the scheme of things, for the environment, price,
light they give out, etc

also do led lights get really hot?

which are the downlights that get really hot and have caused fires when
blowin insulation was placed too near to them?

are led lights really directionable? only giving out light in a small area

*back in this thread...head hurts*

The downlights that run hot are the halogens. From what i've read about leds, the current generation are not bright enough but advances are being made with leds so they might be a solution in the future.

I'm in a similar dilemma, I'm keen on using GU10 downlights as you can use CFLs in them, but I've been told that they do not offer as much light as the 12V MR16s. Other factor is that we have higher ceilings (2.7m) and we've been told that using GU10s would not provide sufficient lighting. Would this be correct? Or would you compensate this with additional downlights? One of the rooms is 4 x 7m and the plan shows 8 d/l, would this be enough if we use GU10s?

Yes leds do run hot - trick with long led life is to keep them cool - hence lots of heat sinks to disapate the heat.

The latest LEDs can be very directional. Grab a copy of RENEW at the local newsagent - there is some inof there abouyt LEDs etc.

re the GU10''s.

Have a look at the 25 wats CFL's as an option.

the emf at 2.7m range is not such an issue.

But downlights are not ideal for a cfl bulb. Unless you have a refelctor in them as well.

steve

Just make sure that your builder doesn't stick a GU10 into your kitchen overheads. It would be funny if it wasn't so idiotic.

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/melbournelyn/DSC01565_400.jpg

Project builders ... taking creative lighting concepts to a whole new level.

Yep that's pretty dumb.

Single Leds at close spacings are ideal for this sort of lighting - very small and minimal wiring.
Steve

back in the dreaded downlights thread

two timber floor people have commented that downlights will show
up any marks/scratches on floors far more than normal lights, I suppose cos of their directional light..

do cfl give more wider light than standard downlights?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(edit) dont panic found the answer (I actually posted it )
cfl give out a wider light than halogen which is more directional

does anyone actually have cfl downlights in their house and can comment
on them?

Hi there Ray,

Not sure if you have found your answer as yet, as we have only recently joined the forum.

If you still require any assistance with your lighting needs, just let us know.

Cheers!

superlight,

Do you have an LED downlight that gives the same light output as a 50W halogen? I'm not talking about light intensity, as a narrow beam will give me a high intensity, but total light output.

Asking the same question a different way, how many lumens does a conventional 50 W quartz halogen give off and how many lumens does your LED light give off, and what is the wattage? Finally, how much would such a light cost and how long would it last?

Cheers,
Casa

Here's a table I put together in February (https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.p ... t=lumen%2A) updated to include the LED downlights mentioned (and halogen):

Type _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Lumens _ _ _ Watts _ _ _ Lumens/Watt
Incandescent. . . . . . 693 . . . . . . . . 60 . . . . . . . . . . 12
Osram HES. . . . . . . . 630 . . . . . . . . 42 . . . . . . . . . . 15
Halogen (glass) . . . . 800 . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . . . . .16
Halogen (quartz) . . 1200 . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . . . . . 24
LED (8x3W) . . . . . . 1200 . . . . . . . . 24 . . . . . . . . . . 50
CFL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 880 . . . . . . . . 15 . . . . . . . . . . 59

Hope it's correct (corrections welcome).

So, finally LED lights have caught up with CFLs. The advantages that I see for LED lights are
1) They last longer
2) They are instantly on and to full intensity

The advantages I see for CFLs are:
1) Cheaper
2) Look better (80 mm trim versus 120 mm trim)

I notice that the LED (and CFL) for the wattage mentioned are not dimmable. So if you want dimmable, halogen has a place.

My (interim) summary, use CLF or LED for main lighting and supplementary halogen lights where you want dimmable or short term task lighting (eg. over kitchen benchtop).

Thanks superlight for enlightening (:)) us on this topic.

So, how much do they cost and how long are they expected to last? Also, do they work directly off 240 V.

Cheers,
Casa

I'm keen to see the answer to this one as well!

Our builder wants us to use CFL downlights - but I'd love to go LED if possible.

I inspected a renovated shop in the city yesterday and it had heaps of 5x3W globes (total 18W each I was told, but that is only 15W) - they were about twice the diameter of regular downlight globes, and used the high-intensity surface-mount LED's. They were also 24v, and was told about $200 each!

They seemed to be bright enough on their own to adequately light the shop, but they had a few more traditional rectangular (150W?) recessed lights running down the length of the shop, and were going to put a few more of them in at the front of the shop. Unfortunately the contractor that installed the lights wasn't there for me to ask where he got them from or what brand they were. They certainly looked impressive, but very expensive (as all LED globes are IMHO). I wish I had a camera with me to take photos and didn't think of taking one into work with me today to take photos either, and won't be in the city anymore to be able to take photos next week either...

I checked the store's website but they don't have a photo of the shop on their website.

The nearest thing I've found that looks like them is these