12v MR16 50w Bulbs

PaddyJules

I know there are alot of threads on here about bulbs etc but I am not very 'electrically' minded, so I just want to get some straightforward advice.

Our main ceiling lights in the house have 12v MR16 50w bulbs (there is a total of 27 ceiling lights in the house). My mission for 2012 is to reduce our ever rising electricity bill - so my question is - is it costing alot to run these and if so what should we change them to. Is it worth changing them all compared to the savings we would make in the elec bill.

Any help would be grateful.

maxfresh

A straight swap of the lamps would be to a led 12v ,like this
http://store.basmarkt.com/mr16-socket/35-led-spot-gu10-80.html

another alternative would be to get rid of all of the transformers (usally one per light) and use gu10 type lamps ,like these
http://greenideas.ie/2011/philips-4-watt-gu10-led-bulb-is-now-dimmable/

bigjoe

There are a lot of variables.

If you want an equivalent to what you have but reduce energy costs you should go for something like this.
http://www.lampspecs.co.uk/Light-Bulbs-Tubes/Osram-MR16-IRC_2/M281IR-48865WFL
It will give 30% saving and won’t break the bank, about €3.50 – 4.00 plus VAT. Direct replacement. I will say this is what I use.

After that it is a minefield and a matter of opinion.

Are you using dimmers? If yes forget about the cluster (Cheep) LEDs. After that you are looking something like the Philips 7W LED at something like €20-24 each plus VAT. It is a great lamp but it is still 30% less output than you have at the moment.

Lets say your lamps are 4 hours a day (Which is a hell of a lot) and the 7W costs you €22 plus VAT you would take over 2 years to pay back.

You could go whit the Philips 10W LED.
http://www.lightonenergy.co.uk/10W-MLED-MR16-p/mr16-led-10w-philips.htm
You will get roughly the same light output but with the extra price you could be over 3 years getting the payback.

Just my thoughts.

Stoner

bigjoe wrote: »

There are a lot of variables.

If you want an equivalent to what you have but reduce energy costs you should go for something like this.
http://www.lampspecs.co.uk/Light-Bulbs-Tubes/Osram-MR16-IRC_2/M281IR-48865WFL
It will give 30% saving and won’t break the bank, about €3.50 – 4.00 plus VAT. Direct replacement. I will say this is what I use.

After that it is a minefield and a matter of opinion.

Are you using dimmers? If yes forget about the cluster (Cheep) LEDs. After that you are looking something like the Philips 7W LED at something like €20-24 each plus VAT. It is a great lamp but it is still 30% less output than you have at the moment.

Lets say your lamps are 4 hours a day (Which is a hell of a lot) and the 7W costs you €22 plus VAT you would take over 2 years to pay back.

You could go whit the Philips 10W LED.
http://www.lightonenergy.co.uk/10W-MLED-MR16-p/mr16-led-10w-philips.htm
You will get roughly the same light output but with the extra price you could be over 3 years getting the payback.

Just my thoughts.

spot on Joe I'd just slightly disagree on the 30% less output from the 7W Philips LED, i'd agree that it would be 30% less on the Philips 4Watt LED, but the 7W more or less hits the spot with respect to colour and intensity when compared to a 50W MR16, IMHO

bigjoe

Stoner wrote: »

spot on Joe I'd just slightly disagree on the 30% less output from the 7W Philips LED, i'd agree that it would be 30% less on the Philips 4Watt LED, but the 7W more or less hits the spot with respect to colour and intensity when compared to a 50W MR16, IMHO

I am only going by what information I got from Philips. The 7w is equivalent to 50w GU10 or 35w MR16. But I stand to be corrected.

Also yes the color is spot on.

antoinolachtnai

If you go with LED, you may find that you need new transformers. This just depends on the type you happen to have. Changing the transformers makes the price go up a good bit, to the point where it would be better to get rid of transformers altogether and use 240v bulbs.

Stoner

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

If you go with LED, you may find that you need new transformers. This just depends on the type you happen to have. Changing the transformers makes the price go up a good bit, to the point where it would be better to get rid of transformers altogether and use 240v bulbs.

+1

good idea to remove the traffos and their internal losses completely and just go with Gu10 240V connectors.

masheener

You are far better off eliminating your 12v transformers here and swopping out for GU10 mains lamps. Swopping out 12v 50watts for under 10watt equivalents will cause all sorts of problems for your existing transformers, make sure to check the existing transformers minimum loadings! Personally I like GE's range which has some really nice GU10 and MR16 retrofit lamps.

http://www.lightsign.ie/index.php/products-page/led/

whizbang

do not under any circumstances change 12v lamps for GU10 mains lamps.

average mains 50W GU10 output is about the equivalent of a 20w 12v MR16, and about 1/10th of lifetime.
if your concerned about trafos, check minimum rating and parallel wire the LEDs to make up.

Have you tried simply reducing to 20W? you may find very little difference in light level.

bigjohn66

whizbang wrote: »

do not under any circumstances change 12v lamps for GU10 mains lamps.

average mains 50W GU10 output is about the equivalent of a 20w 12v MR16, and about 1/10th of lifetime.
if your concerned about trafos, check minimum rating and parallel wire the LEDs to make up.

Have you tried simply reducing to 20W? you may find very little difference in light level.

I don’t think anyone was suggesting he change to GU10 halogen lamps, more like to GU10 LEDs. The main reason to change to a GU10 lamp holder is you can use a 220V lamp and therefore eliminate the potential transformer failure. (One less thing to go wrong.)

As for your comments about the output and life rating of GU10, you are off there. A 50W GU10 lamp is equivalent to a 12v 35W MR16 lamp. A GU10 35w is = to a 20W MR16. Or if you need it a 75W GU10 will be a direct replacement for an MR16 50W. As for life ratings, a standard GU10 has half the life rating of a standard MR16 not 10%.

M cebee

whizbang wrote: »

do not under any circumstances change 12v lamps for GU10 mains lamps.

average mains 50W GU10 output is about the equivalent of a 20w 12v MR16, and about 1/10th of lifetime.
if your concerned about trafos, check minimum rating and parallel wire the LEDs to make up.

Have you tried simply reducing to 20W? you may find very little difference in light level.

20w 12v =50w mains?

12v lasts 10x longer?

not familiar with 12v led but how practical would that be if the
min loading=20watt
and max lead length=2mt (rfi)

whizbang

first off, I agree with fitting GU10 but only if LEDs are used. far too easy to put in a mains GU10 and screw up the whole process.
the 12v LEDs are generally more reliable than GU10 type, (ok, more expensive) so dont ditch the trafos yet.

10x longer. -Not in a laboratory, but simply by interpreting all the threads here - you get the picture. Real world, ebay, china, bad connectors, bad wiring, bad fitting, overheating, etc
20W=50W. again, as above, real world now.

(just stepping off my soapbox...)

RFI is at rated current, since current draw is lower you can go longer;) (where's the salt?)