Halogen Lighting
Incandescent light globes date back to the days of Thomas Edison. They work by heating a small filament wire inside the globe with an electric current, and it is this glow that emits the light you see coming from your old 50w halogen down lights.
It is with good reason most Electricians wait a few minutes before changing these light fittings, as they dissipate a terrible amount of heat whilst running.
In most cases, 90% of the energy used to power these light fittings is lost in the heat they create, making halogen and any other incandescent globe, very inefficient.
The heat generated by these fittings also pose a serious fire hazard. It is mandatory that there is a special cannistor mounted in the ceiling above these light fittings, to prevent any other building material (timber, insulation etc) coming into direct contact with the globe or transformer.
Despite being a requirement, these cannistors often get knocked or misplaced over the years, or just simply were not installed.
Most Australian homes built before the mid 00’s contain some form of incandescent light fitting.
Whilst it is always a cheaper option to just by a replacement globe when needed, in the long term it is definitely worth considering swapping these fittings for new energy efficient lighting options.
How much does it cost to change my Halogen lighting?
LED – Light Emitting Diodes
LED lights rely on a small diode chip to emit a high concentrated light, dissipating only small amounts of heat which allows them to run at a very high efficiency.
How much does it cost to change my Halogen lighting?
Generally speaking the expected life time of each LED is between 20,000 and 50,000 hours.
Most standard LED down lights run at around 10-15w, when compared to its predecessor (incandescent) which could run up to at least 70w per light.
If you counted the amount of down lights you have on of a night and did the maths, you would be shocked at the power saving.
As time passes, the cost of LED’s have come down considerably, making your return on investment very attractive.
