Browse Forums Building A New House Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 21Mar 28, 2012 8:09 pm you pay 10c/KWh? damn. We are paying 19 at the cheapest rate, and 21 for the rest. Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 22Mar 28, 2012 8:26 pm I think its good there's lots of thought going into different types of energy efficient lighting. One thing to bear in mind when doing any calculations and debating which type of technology to buy is to consider the amount of each type needed to sufficiently light a room. ie. When I was deciding which type of lights to install it was apparent that even though CFL's were more efficient, we needed about 50% more per room to get comparable lighting levels to normal halogen downlights (35Ws). This will have a large effect any payback calculations. This was a few years ago so the available lighting types has changed but its still very valid. Also agree 100% with rex re: LED outlay costs being too high for quality units ATM. You could throw the difference in initial outlay into a 1.5KW solar system for instance and completely offset your (not so efficient) lighting costs will lots of power to spare and therefore have a larger overall reduction in your power bill. Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 23Mar 28, 2012 8:55 pm What do you all think about www.wattsaver.com.au led downlights.... Much cheaper and australian made....Take a look http://www.wattsaver.com.au/product.php?id=155&catID=48 LED Downlights and normal lights 24Mar 28, 2012 9:13 pm marybond2012 What do you all think about http://www.wattsaver.com.au led downlights.... Much cheaper and australian made....Take a look http://www.wattsaver.com.au/product.php?id=155&catID=48 They look alright - they look like the ones I bought, but I paid a bit more I think the "Australian Made" logo is a bit of a stretch though - the website says "Assembled in Australia", which seems a little more realistic - the LED module would be screwed to the gimble and connected to the power supply in Australia, but all of the components would be made in China Paul Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 25Mar 29, 2012 8:45 am Hi guys. A lot of talk on here about cost of LEDs and how long it takes to recover the cost with electricity bills. But of course the other plus is that you are also consuming less, so better for the environment in terms of electricity consumption. (Which of course depends on whether it takes more consumption to produce the LEDs...). I still think you come out on top in terms of being good for the environment. SunshineT's Build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34585 Designs start: 4/12/09 DA: 5/7/11 Demo: 22/12/11 Slab: 24/2/12 Keys: 31/8/12 Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 26Mar 29, 2012 9:12 am squashedrex - Thanks again for such a detailed analysis. Another file documented in my Home Project Folder. Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 27Mar 29, 2012 4:29 pm Hi Everyone, Just wanted to contribute to this discussion & to offer my 2c worth as well. I'm in Sydney, & have about 65 LED downlights installed in the house we're building. The electrician originally quoted us $130 + GST each. You can imagine how horrified at the cost we were. So we decided to do some research ourselves & found a Philips GU10 7W 40 deg light with fitting for $40 including GST! . The electrician decided he would charge us $35 to install , which brought the overall cost per unit to $75....a saving of $68 each by 65 that's well over $4K ...crazy isn't it? The great thing about this globe is that it doesn't need a transformer or a driver, which means it's basically acts like a normal globe running on 240V. What's even better is that should any of the globes need changing, you can just unplug it yourself, no need for an electrician, just unplug & replace yourself. This light & fitting was bought from a reputable Electrical wholesaler in Sydney that also sells retail, so if anybody needs anyfurther info, please pm me. LED Downlights and normal lights 28Mar 29, 2012 5:04 pm Hi Springtime. How do you find the Philips 7w 40deg? I tried some GU10 10w 36deg Osrams, but the narrow beam width was just too shallow for regular lighting (it probably would be OK for task lighting over a bench etc). Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 29Mar 29, 2012 5:49 pm Hi MattyT, We have a combined living, dining , & kitchen, the area is HUGE . The LEDs light up very very well . We have no problems at all with them. Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 30Mar 29, 2012 7:12 pm the GU10 fittings really are more for retro fitting go a dedicated LED complete downlight with driver if you are building. I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! LED Downlights and normal lights 31Mar 29, 2012 9:13 pm I hear what you're saying, but, there are some problems with that. Having all the same units, say Brightgreen d900's, is great when you've just moved in. What happens when one breaks, but now there's a D990. It doesn't sound like a problem until you realize the differences in the aesthetics of the lights (the housing is different, or the colour different etc). All of a sudden you've got one light up there that's going to look different to all the rest. At least with GU10/MR16 all you're changing is the globe, so the look and feel should remain the same... Plus the bonus that anyone is allowed to change a bulb! Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 32Mar 29, 2012 10:02 pm dont waste your money on Brightgreen TBH go to your independent lighting retailer We used Eurolight in Bexley (sydney) the staff there were AWESOME. they showed me what is available and they are a HELL of alot cheaper than brightgreen plus you get to choose your surround, colour, wattage and what colour temp you want for way less than brightgreen. all come with 1-2yr warranty. if a light or driver dies than you replace only that part and still have a consistent light in the home I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 33Mar 30, 2012 5:04 am I agree with mecha-wombat, The convenience of a GU10 is second to none. If you need to change the globe, it's easy as...no major drama, & you don't have to call an electrician out to change it. As I said before, we got a trusted name like Philips( they even come in warm white not that annoying white industrial colour ), including the housing from a very reputable wholesaler that has outlets Australia wide . The whole thing cost us $40 with GST, how can Brightgreen beat that? Like mech-wombat said, go out to a lighting place & do your research, you'll be surprised at the saving you can make, I know the $4K we saved got put to good use like blinds etc . Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 34Apr 03, 2012 2:30 pm Just wondering if anyone has come across the down-lights that don't need the 'cool down' around them (which I think is when insulation batts are cut so as not to get too close due to being flammable). I might have that a bit mixed up. Anyway, my query comes from being pointed (by my dad no less!) to a really good radio broadcast about house design and the star rating system etc. It included discussion of how houses can lose 50% of insulation caused by just 5% gaps in insulation, caused by things such as down-lights (which allows air to escape). Here is a link to the story: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/pro ... 01/3917618 Has anyone looked into this? greenfish on another thread (House Orientation) mentioned down-lights that don't need this space, so I was wondering whether anyone else has come across this? Losing 50% insulation is huge! SunshineT's Build: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34585 Designs start: 4/12/09 DA: 5/7/11 Demo: 22/12/11 Slab: 24/2/12 Keys: 31/8/12 Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 35Jun 12, 2012 11:24 am Yeah, if your putting in lighting from scratch the GU10 downlight is the way to go, working off 240V, it will be like changing a regular light bulb, no transformers to deal with. Put in some LED Gu10s and your looking at 10 years of problem free lighting. Also, think of the environmental benefits of not using transformers. Less waste etc. Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 36Jun 12, 2012 3:44 pm I don't think installing transformer is the ideal way to go for a new build? there is many 240V bulbs works just fine. just get 240v setup install and get CFL first, there is some 60" beam going around and not that expensive. replace CFL with LED when they eventually come down in prices, nothing to worry about. you are comparing efficiency vs cosmetic, it really come down to individual if you would like downlight or baton dish everywhere. Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 37Jun 12, 2012 6:31 pm Can I wind it back to the references to GU10 fittings, and interchangeability? In fact, I'm sorta thinking my questions (&/or "avenues of discovery" ) may be relevant in general, and not necessarily just to LED lighting. With our new build, it strikes me that even if we want to fit LED lighting now, we might want to be fitting different globes in future. I suspect the longevity of globes will improve over time, but that initially we may see a few failures. For that reason, it seems to me that surely we'd be better using a fitting that allows us just to replace the globe itself, easily & relatively quickly? Which leads me to those GU10 fittings; although, "GU10" does seem to only describe the plug, and that a "GU10" globe might not fit properly in a light-fitting that's designed to take "GU10". Think of it like ... well imagine a standard Australian GPO outlet, but sunk into a hole maybe 10cm deep ... you can plug most extension-cords into it, but an extension-cords with an oversized plug or with a 90-degree angle at the plug won't fit. The GU10 fittings seem to be like that, most appear to fit a globe that's aproximately the same size as the 50W 12V MR16 globes, yet if you look around at LED globes with GU10 connections they're often physically bulkier & won't fit into the aforementioned fittings. In short - I believe that for replaceability & interchangeability a GU10 fitting is the way to go, but maybe to be a bit careful about the globes that will fit in it. Especially as no transformers are needed. However I'm interested in why mecha-wombat was suggesting more custom fitting/globe setups - or am I misunderstanding what was being said? The second thing I was wondering about was SunshineT's question about low-heat LED's. One of the things I rememeber from playing with LED's vs incandescents while growing-up was that LED's didn't get as hot. But has anyone located low-heat LED globes that don't need airspace around them? Alternately, for insulation reasons - can you get GU10 fittings that're in their own box, allowing insulation to be liberally laid over the top? Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 38Jun 13, 2012 6:24 am Hi Everyone, Couldn't help replying to your posts ( even though we're in Turkey at the moment ) Ok, this is my view, & I'm talking from experience as we just finished building our house & moved in at Easter. 1. The issue of heat : We have installed 62 LED downlights in our two storey home, & I can assure everyone that they are cool to touch even after being on for hours . It depends on which brand you get, if you get the cheap ones, ofcourse they won't be as efficient as the brand globes. After ALOT of searching on the net, DH decided on the Phillips 7W GU10 globes, he's an Electrical Engineer, so trust me when I say he REALLY looked into this before deciding. 2. Insulation : The electrician we got to install the globes was trying to sell us an LED fitting that had space around the globe, leaving space for heat to escape thru the insulation. BUT, there is something called a "Gimble " that can be fitted, & this prevents any heat from escaping thru the insulation, & it looks pretty nice too.... We sourced our LED globes & fittings from Lawrence & Hanson in Sydney, if anyone is interested, pm me & I will give you the name of the salesman there that helped us & talk to him, we found him very very helpful . Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 39Jun 13, 2012 8:50 pm springtime Hi Everyone, <cut> 2. Insulation : The electrician we got to install the globes was trying to sell us an LED fitting that had space around the globe, leaving space for heat to escape thru the insulation. BUT, there is something called a "Gimble " that can be fitted, & this prevents any heat from escaping thru the insulation, & it looks pretty nice too.... We sourced our LED globes & fittings from Lawrence & Hanson in Sydney, if anyone is interested, pm me & I will give you the name of the salesman there that helped us & talk to him, we found him very very helpful . Are you sure you have the teminology right there? A gimble should allow you to change the angle, not reduce the leakage of heat through the downlight. You can get a cover over the downlight to reduce the distance from the insulation & the amount of heat moving out *but* you still lose some heat. Just less. As per my thread on the topic viewtopic.php?f=8&t=56172 Re: LED Downlights and normal lights 40Jun 13, 2012 10:39 pm Hrm, very interesting!
Doing some Googling, I've found a few varieties of downlight-cover; this Tenmat branded one looks really interesting, appears to be fire-rated and they're recommending them for LED's. They're not that large, and insulation will sit over the top of them. If I'm spending all this moulah on insulation & LED's, seems silly not to spend ~$15/ea on covers like this. The only thing they obviously won't publically advertise is if there's potentially a problem with making the LED's too hot themselves & causing a shorter lifespan for the LED ... something inferred but I don't think explicitly stated in your thread, theaonyuser. Will have to append to the "stuff I want to remember" list extracted from the "stuff I forget" thread ... Yes, get a builder, make sure he is experienced and a registered building practitioner 5 8974 |