Downlights use a lot of power

3timesbuilda · Jun 29, 2007 10:19 am

Helen

3xb - I saw this on The New Inventors - the eco switch:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s1899659.htm

Very intresting, just what I need. I've registered to find out my nearest stockist.

3xb

DeKa · Jun 29, 2007 2:48 pm

double07

You can replace your Halogen's with LED lights suited to MR16 sockets. They typically use 1-3 watts of power and cost between $15-30. Hold off for about 6 months or so though as the market will soon be flooded with cheap LEDs.

Another option is 20w and 35w MR16 Halogen bulbs. Quite often a 35W is bright enough. It must be - we're selling boxes at a time to residential customers to use in their homes!

See this link: http://www.rockaroundtheblock.com.au/ca ... asp?cID=16

MR16 20W: 460 candela brightness
MR16 35W: 730 candela brightness
MR16 50W: 1500 candela brightness

Yak_Chat · Jun 29, 2007 4:07 pm

Sure DeKa - but the use 20 to 30 times as much power as an LED in the same fitting !!
Sure we need to compare light output etc, but it'll never be 30watts to give the same candela / lumen or whatever you want to measure.

DeKa · Jul 02, 2007 12:27 pm

yak_chat,

I understand what you mean but LED light is not yet as "nice" as incandescent light - which I presume is why the 20w and 35w bulbs are so popular.

I bet the LED bulbs take a lot more energy to make than the 20w and 35w models too.

3timesbuilda · Jul 02, 2007 12:57 pm

DeKa

I bet the LED bulbs take a lot more energy to make than the 20w and 35w models too.

Doubt it, the silicon is barely visible to the naked eye - think tens of thousands per wafer, a couple of metal wires and a plastic shroud. Reason they are so cheap is because they are so simple. Even Luxeon simply have a heatsink and glass instead of plastic.