LED Downlights - Why Buy Now?

If you wander into your local DIY superstore and go to the lighting section you will find that displays of LED downlights are becoming more visible. The most common are direct replacements for GU10 mains voltage halogen downlights (same size & shape and you don't have to change your light fittings). However one look at the price and the guaranteed reaction is EXPENSIVE!!!.

But is it????

A halogen bulb costs around a £1.00 compared to about £18 for a 4 or 5 watt LED. Eighteen times the cost.

However LED's use less power, last longer and don't generate as much heat.

A typical LED downlight is rated at 25,000 hours whereas a mains voltage halogen bulb is good for 1,000 hours. So buying one LED light is equivalent to buying 25 halogen bulbs. A net saving of £7

As far as power consumption is concerned LED' consume a tenth of the power of halogens. If you assume that electricity costs 10p a kilowatt hour a 5 watt LED consumes £12.50 during its lifetime. Compare this to 50 watt halogens which will cost £125 to run. A net saving of £112.50

The third consideration is heat. Halogens get hot so you can't wrap then in insulation without asking for trouble ( increased fire risk, melted cables, bulbs frequently popping). If you install them according to the manufacturers instructions halogens need a gap in the insulation around each downlight. This sort of defeats the idea of insulation and means that halogens are very good at heating up your loft space when they are on and cooling down your room when they are off. LED's don't get hot so you can insulate and save on your heating bills.

So do you replace your halogens with LED's or not? The only disadvantage is initial cost but if you take a longer term view each LED saves you over £100 during its lifetime.

As with all new technological innovations prices start high but decrease as sales increase. You can wait until LED prices come down or you could be proactive. Just buy one and try it. You will save money, you are reducing your carbon foot print and you are helping to increase those sales volumes which will bring prices down.