Hey guys!
I am new to this forum and quite interested in the topic of power saving in everyday life. My current project at home is to cut down power expenses for lighting, any recommendations on that? Focusing on the LED stuff, as they seem the most power saving...
Looking forward to discussing this topic!
Power saving lighting
Moderator: Peak Moderation
Power saving lighting
Last edited by paint on 28 Aug 2014, 16:29, edited 1 time in total.
I have bought a few of these for halogen fittings:
http://www.DODGY TAX AVOIDERS.co.uk/gp/product/B007 ... UTF8&psc=1
They used to be £4.99 - I see the warm white one still is:
http://www.DODGY TAX AVOIDERS.co.uk/SuperLEDTM-WHIT ... ght_text_y
I have only ever tried the cold white and it's brighter than the halogen it replaces.
http://www.DODGY TAX AVOIDERS.co.uk/gp/product/B007 ... UTF8&psc=1
They used to be £4.99 - I see the warm white one still is:
http://www.DODGY TAX AVOIDERS.co.uk/SuperLEDTM-WHIT ... ght_text_y
I have only ever tried the cold white and it's brighter than the halogen it replaces.
LEDs have certainly come of age for domestic lighting. The rolls of self-adhesive SMD LED strip are pretty cost-effective.
We came up with a simple system that uses them:
Get 5 metres of warm white SMD 3528 600 LED strip, an infrared controller (like this), plus a 1.7 metre length of 2"x1" (ish) planed wooden batten.
Split the LED strip into 3 equal lengths (cut only on the cut marks every 3rd LED) and stick it onto one of the wide faces of the batten in three parallel strips a few mm from each edge (so there is a wide gap between the strips).
Wire one strip to the R(ed) channel of the controller and one to the G(reen), one to B(lue) - it's common positive, by the way (marked on the controller connector with an arrow). Attach the controller to the underside of the batten.
Next, make a pair of small hoops about 3" diameter out of anything you can find (coat-hanger wire is good) and suspend from the ceiling at your desired height, then thread the whole contraption through the hoops.
Plug in the 12v supply of choice, and there you go... a 30 watt remote controlled (dimmable) striplight that you can rotate to point straight down when you want an intense worklight, or rotate to point at the ceiling when you want a softer ambient light - all for a lot less than a tenner.
This one uses a 2.5 metre batten and two strips:
Another trick is to stick the same strip along picture rails, pointing at the ceiling:
I find the 'warm white' to be best for home use - the 'cool' is a bit clinical.
On a side note, if you've got 12 volt halogens anywhere, replace the old transformer(s) with 'LED drivers' if you're fitting LED lamps.
We came up with a simple system that uses them:
Get 5 metres of warm white SMD 3528 600 LED strip, an infrared controller (like this), plus a 1.7 metre length of 2"x1" (ish) planed wooden batten.
Split the LED strip into 3 equal lengths (cut only on the cut marks every 3rd LED) and stick it onto one of the wide faces of the batten in three parallel strips a few mm from each edge (so there is a wide gap between the strips).
Wire one strip to the R(ed) channel of the controller and one to the G(reen), one to B(lue) - it's common positive, by the way (marked on the controller connector with an arrow). Attach the controller to the underside of the batten.
Next, make a pair of small hoops about 3" diameter out of anything you can find (coat-hanger wire is good) and suspend from the ceiling at your desired height, then thread the whole contraption through the hoops.
Plug in the 12v supply of choice, and there you go... a 30 watt remote controlled (dimmable) striplight that you can rotate to point straight down when you want an intense worklight, or rotate to point at the ceiling when you want a softer ambient light - all for a lot less than a tenner.
This one uses a 2.5 metre batten and two strips:
Another trick is to stick the same strip along picture rails, pointing at the ceiling:
I find the 'warm white' to be best for home use - the 'cool' is a bit clinical.
On a side note, if you've got 12 volt halogens anywhere, replace the old transformer(s) with 'LED drivers' if you're fitting LED lamps.
If you're concerned about the "coldness" of the lighting, you need to look at colour temperature, measured in Kelvin (K). Traditional tungsten lighting has a colour temperature of around 2,800K, whereas daylight is in the region 6,000 - 6,400K. (Higher temperature = bluer light, lower temperature = yellower light). If you want a look that emulates tungsten lighting, go for a lower colour temperature bulb. (They mostly have the colour temp. stated on the box).
Lower temp LEDs are becoming more common. Tesco do a nice "small edison screw" candle bulb replacement which gives a warm light. For GU10 (halogen) replacements, we use "warm white" 5W bulbs from Homewatt (on line supplier).
To be honest, we have gone for a mid-range colour temp. in the main living areas and, once we got used to it, found it preferable to the very yellow tungsten lighting. It is far superior to the "grey" light that you get from the earlier CFL-type energy saving bulbs. Added benefits with LED are instant-on and very long life.
One last point. Studies have shown that exposure to high colour temperature lighting near bedtime can disrupt sleep patterns. So it's definitely a good idea to have as warm a light as possible in the bedroom.
HTH.
Edit to add: Although the upfront costs are high, the savings are staggering. Prioritise those areas where you tend to have the light on for long periods.
Lower temp LEDs are becoming more common. Tesco do a nice "small edison screw" candle bulb replacement which gives a warm light. For GU10 (halogen) replacements, we use "warm white" 5W bulbs from Homewatt (on line supplier).
To be honest, we have gone for a mid-range colour temp. in the main living areas and, once we got used to it, found it preferable to the very yellow tungsten lighting. It is far superior to the "grey" light that you get from the earlier CFL-type energy saving bulbs. Added benefits with LED are instant-on and very long life.
One last point. Studies have shown that exposure to high colour temperature lighting near bedtime can disrupt sleep patterns. So it's definitely a good idea to have as warm a light as possible in the bedroom.
HTH.
Edit to add: Although the upfront costs are high, the savings are staggering. Prioritise those areas where you tend to have the light on for long periods.
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emordnilap
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Re: Power saving lighting
Welcome, paint.paint wrote:Hey guys!
I am new to this forum and quite interested in the topic of power saving in everyday life. My current project at home is to cut down power expenses for lighting, any recommendations on that? Focusing on the LED stuff, as they seem the most power saving...
Looking forward to discussing this topic!
If you click the 'search' button at the top of this page and type in '12v lighting' or 'LEDs' or 'low wattage lighting' or similar terms that interest you, there is a mass of information on this forum about suppliers and equipment and even some detailed installation instructions regarding low voltage circuits.
The search facility is not particularly good - you'll get a lot of results - but you just don't know where a little patience might lead you...good luck.
I experience pleasure and pains, and pursue goals in service of them, so I cannot reasonably deny the right of other sentient agents to do the same - Steven Pinker