At present it is recommended that all old style incandescent light bulbs are replaced with Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. A typical CFL has a lifetime many times that of an incandescent bulb, and consumes only 20% of the energy. LED bulbs offer enormous electricity consumption reductions, but suffer from one problem - the light from an LED is very directional and so (at present) they are most suited to be used exclusively as spot lights. If you want to use LED spotlights for general room lighting, it is usually best to leave some halogen bulbs in the circuit to ensure overall light levels in the room are maintained.

Replacing Halogen Spotlight Bulbs with LEDs

During the last 10-15 years, halogen spotlights have become more and more popular in British homes. Halogen bulbs (pictured above) are typically available in low voltage 6V or 12V (supplied with adapter) and high voltage 240V versions with 20-50 Watt power ratings.

Replacement 12V LED spotlights are now available and becoming more and more economical to purchase. Dichroic Halogen bulbs start at around £1 each and last for 2,000 hours - LED spotlights are priced as low as £4 each and will last 80,000 to 100,000 hours! The total power consumption for an LED spotlight is an ultra-low 1-2 Watt for a bulb offering similar light levels to a power hungry halogen bulb.

LED Spotlight Options

LED Spotlights are available in a range of optical beam angles from 6 to 25 degrees, so you can choose how intense a spotlight you require - narrow beam for a dedicated reading light, wide beam for more diffuse mood lighting. They come in industry standard fittings: MR16, and GU10 so you can very simply replace all the spotlight bulbs in your home and start saving on your electricity bill each month.

Buy LED Spotlights

Currently, one of the cheapest places to purchase LED spotlights is eBay. A huge range of different colours and light intensities are available from as little as £3.50 including postage. Click here to search eBay now for MR16 LED (12 VDC or 12 VAC), and here for GU10 LED (mains powered 110/240 VAC).

12V LED spotlights (pictured at the top of this article) and MR16 ceramic bulb holders are now available from the REUK Shop.

Pure brilliant white 240 Volt LED spotlight bulbs (pictured above) are also available in the REUK Shop. These 1 Watt rated bulbs with GU10 fitting can be used as a direct replacement for 240 Volt halogen spotlights (except in dimmer circuits)

In situations where these low-voltage and mains-voltage LED spotlights are not always bright enough (e.g. for general room lighting), consider Cree LED spotlights which are spotlights made up of one or more 1+ Watt LED bulbs, or Megaman dimmerable CFL spotlight bulbs.

12V LED Spotlights and Renewable Energy