Browse Forums Eco Living 1 Dec 05, 2008 11:32 am Does anyone have any experience with LED lighting in their homes?
I.E. Are they bright enough, do they really pay themselves back with energy savings??? I'd like to replace all these halogens as they run quite hot and are obviously very inefficient. Re: LED lighting 3Dec 07, 2008 9:14 pm sandcastle Does anyone have any experience with LED lighting in their homes? I.E. Are they bright enough, do they really pay themselves back with energy savings??? I'd like to replace all these halogens as they run quite hot and are obviously very inefficient. LEDs are one of the most efficient (and long-lasting) lighting sources around. However, they also very expensive and require large arrays to achieve the equivalent lighting intensity of a standard globe. Their beam pattern and colour rendeirng is also different and may not be as useful in general lighting situations. Follow this discussion: http://forums.envirotalk.com.au/Energy- ... l=lighting Re: LED lighting 4Dec 09, 2008 11:48 pm Some recent figures I've heard are that a good quality LED GU10 bulb should be installed at a ratio or 1.5 to 2 for each halogen style bulb.
And you should also use 1 x cool and 1 x warm colour LED to get a natural colour light. As for costs - well here are some sums. Lets say a room has 6 x halogens and the wattage is 50 watts per bulb - that = 300 watts in total If we needed 12 x LEDS to give similar lighting level - that would be 12 x LED lights @ 4 watts power usage each = 48 watts in total versus the 300 for halogens. & let's say our power costs 20 cents per Kw hr. ($0.20) If all 6 x Halogens or all 12 x LEDS lights are on for 4 hours per day every day. We get the following per day running costs. Halogens = $0.24 cents per day (1.2kw per day @ .20 cents / kwhr) LEDS per day = $0.0384 cents per day (0.192kw per day @ .20 cents / kwhr) which equals HALOGENS per year = $0.24 x 365 = $87.50 per year to light that room LEDS per year = $0.0384 x 365 = $14.05 per year to light that room LED savings per annum on that room alone = $70.45 RUN TIME @ 4 hrs per day = 1,460 hours per year Halogen bulbs cost - lets say $10 each bulb - Lifespan = 4,000 hours which at the above usage per year = about 2.7 years life per bulb. LED Bulb (it's not really a bulb) costs - lets say $30 each - Lifespan = 30,000 hours which at the above usage per year = about 20.5 years life. So over the 20.5 years life - the running cost of these lights would have been. HALOGENS = $2,249.75 ($1793.75 + (45 x replacement bulbs @ $10 = $450)) Where the LEDS will have been $588.25 $288.25 + plus 12 new bulbs @ $30 each (which they will not be that expensive by then) + $340) I'll leave the rest for you to calculate. Note: All of the above is based on all costs remaining fixed - ie power remaining @ 20 cents per Kwhr for the next 20 years, bulbs costing the same and as we all know - there is such a thing as inflation and the cost of power. And I'm sure they will all remain at the same cost till 2028 Steve Re: LED lighting 5Dec 10, 2008 12:10 pm Yak_Chat a good quality LED GU10 bulb should be installed at a ratio or 1.5 to 2 for each halogen style bulb.And you should also use 1 x cool and 1 x warm colour LED to get a natural colour light. We have gone against the trendy thing of having downlights everywhere. Apart from getting more usable light per fitting, standard fittings will be easier to insulate. I am not sure if mixing LED colours into separate fittings will achieve the intended purpose of producing an overall natural colour rendition. Re: LED lighting 6Dec 10, 2008 2:43 pm Yak_Chat All of the above is based on all costs remaining fixed - ie power remaining @ 20 cents per Kwhr for the next 20 years, bulbs costing the same and as we all know - there is such a thing as inflation and the cost of power. And I'm sure they will all remain at the same cost till 2028 Steve I will let the rich people buy them now and drive the price down to the cost of a CFL. Then I will get some as we ride the crest up of energy prices. Re: LED lighting 9Feb 19, 2009 8:01 pm Yak_Chat whats the retro fit costs - new transformers etc etc. LED lamps will need a driver to be used in place of the 12v Transformer. They are basically the same thing, but most 12v transformers have a minimum load requirement and the LED lamps are only 3 or 6 watts. Drivers can be between $15-20 and the lamps can range from $25-60. As stated above the long term benifits are where the savings are. I would give it a copule of years as I am sure the lighting companies a busy as bees trying to make a LED that is cheap and has a good light output. Re: 10May 24, 2009 9:13 pm Yak_Chat Some recent figures I've heard are that a good quality LED GU10 bulb should be installed at a ratio or 1.5 to 2 for each halogen style bulb. And you should also use 1 x cool and 1 x warm colour LED to get a natural colour light. Hey Steve - thanks for some great info. I'm curious to know what the deal is with the ratio of 1.5 to 2... is this to ensure that get good light coverage or intensity??? I mean, I'd be using a dimmer switch most of the time anyway... so would it not be OK to replace 1 for 1??? Cheers from another Steve Wishful Builders... Re: LED lighting 11May 25, 2009 7:10 pm The 1.5 to 2 ratio is determined as a ratio that will give similar levels of light to the older style halogen bulbs. In saying that - with brighter and brighter LED bulbs becoming availble, that ratio will reduce, and if you like dim rooms anyway, then the same spacing will obviously be less ligth anyway if the bulb actual light output is less. Steve Re: LED lighting 12May 26, 2009 3:07 am Thanks, that answers my question... I guess it was kinda obvious - I was thinking that light emitted by the LED might spread less, like LASER... I'll stop wondering about that now. I've been looking for a supplier for these, there are lots coming out of HK (on ebay), any one have experience with these? Reliable Cheers, S Wishful Builders... Re: LED lighting 13May 26, 2009 11:47 am Tribasus Thanks, that answers my question... I guess it was kinda obvious - I was thinking that light emitted by the LED might spread less, like LASER... I'll stop wondering about that now. I would still keep wondering. Good lighting efficiency is not only about lumens and watts. Beam distribution is important as well. This study modelled LED only lighting for a conference room and found it would be challenging to provide the correct lighting distribution. In the end it was found to be less efficient than other standard systems involving fluorescents and halogens. http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/solidst ... -43_Gu.pdf Re: LED lighting 14May 28, 2009 5:48 pm Hi Guys , have a look at this web site www.hafele.com.au once there go to the Online catalogues and look for the reflections lighting catalogue ,this can be downloaded and is only about 2 megs. Keep you eyes open as I was showed a new 9 watt Led ceiling light that is 95 % as bright as a 50 watt halogen .There is a Led driver and this can run one or two lights . It is only 18 watt driver . Remember most of the high power led`s are run on 700 m/a and these will not work with old halogen transformers as they will blow the led`s immediatley. This light is a complete ceiling fitting .There are two types one with a gimble for commercial and a fixed version ( 5 * Star rated for new homes ) Enjoy and hooray for LED lights . Contact Hafele if you need any other info. Re: LED lighting 15May 29, 2009 1:58 am fernbrae Thanks - that is a sweet as resource (for the lazy amongst us here is a direct link to the download or online versions ) So, what's the deal with transformers... looks like I've bought a house with my better half. House is from a large building / development company and we are hoping they can install LEDs instead of the halogens that are specified... any tips? I gather this is something you'd do during building as you need access to ceiling cavity to swap over if upgrading at a later date... ? Wishful Builders... Re: LED lighting 16May 29, 2009 10:16 am The deal with transformers is that they will not run the LED lights . They are completely different to Led drivers . Led lights require constant current and variable voltage . Halogen is constant voltage and variable current. Have you looked at any of the LED ceiling lights ?? What area of Australia are you ?? If you give me and e-mail address I can send some ingormation on the new 9 watt ceiling lights that I have seen . I know these are as bright as a halogen and there is a dimmerable option ,this is not the same as we know for halogens as the dimmers for halogens will not work with Led`s. THis option is by switching the on and off switch on and off several times and the lights will dim from 9 watts to 7 watts to 5 watts and 3 watts. This is just how it is ,no other options at this time. One driver is 18 watts so this will run two lights and plugs into a normal 10 amp GPO ,same as is on the wall.( but this would be in the ceiling and attached to your wall switch. ) For switching the lights on and off. Rgds Greg Re: LED lighting 17May 29, 2009 4:09 pm Thanks Greg - PM sent. One of the things that I really want to know is what would be involved with taking a brand new house and removing all halogens and replacing with LEDs... For example: * has anyone done this - what would they do differently * would the drivers need special placement in ceiling cavity (suspect not) * do the drivers fit through the holes left over from the halogens * what is the cheapest approach * what is the most preferred approach from a technology perspective * if I choose option A would it preclude option B, C & D * does anyone have experience dealing with a builder on these issues (horror or delight?) * any tips, tricks or things to consider Regards & thanks , S Wishful Builders... Re: LED lighting 18May 29, 2009 9:41 pm Tribasus One of the things that I really want to know is what would be involved with taking a brand new house and removing all halogens and replacing with LEDs... Here is an article about LED lighting from a Eco Retailer: http://www.eco-smart.org/presentations/ ... cation.pdf It emphasises the fact that LEDs provide better directional (task) lighting than general lighting e.g. car headlights, traffic lights, accent lighting, workbenches, desks The Wikipedia primary references on luminous efficacy suggest that LEDs are generally better than CFLS, the difference with fluorescent tubes is not that great. LEDs might be appropriate over a kitchen bench or desk but they don't seem adequate to provide the right kind of illumination for general use areas. Re: LED lighting 19Jul 06, 2009 6:19 pm Hi , have not received PM, fernbrae5@bigpond.com please send again, I will send more information regarding the lights There are very simple ways this can be acheived , the drivers for the led`s are not large and will fit in the holes the the halogens have . The dirvers are about the same size. rgds greg Re: LED lighting 20Aug 01, 2009 11:13 am In fact, many LED products like illumination tube bulb had gone into using, it is good to replace the traditional incandescent lamp. I am working in a LED factory Shenzhen, China, you would better buy from the Hongkong seller. But if you want the detailed information, maybe you could go to w w w.kutop.c o m, there are some articles about LED applications. Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1. optional, you can but normally just use the earth from the main switch board 2. should be enough but the distance determines voltage drop - sparky should work it… 1 28814 I have a really long hallway which is 1100mm W x 11500mm L I would appreciate if anyone can give suggestions to light it up with Linear LED lights that goes from wall to… 0 8818 |